University  of  California. 


(ri>:'T  f)y 


FORMATION 


CHRISTIAN    CHARACTER 


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http://www.archive.org/details/formationofchri600warer, 


FORMATION 


CHRISTIAN    CHARACTER, 

ADDRESSED   TO  THOSE  WHO  ARE   SEEKING 
TO   LEAD  A  RELIGIOUS   LIFE  I 


PEOGEESS  OF  THE  CHEISTIAN  LIFE; 


A  SEQUEL  TO  THE   "FORMATION  OP  THE 
CHRISTIAN  CHARACTER." 


By  HENEY  ware,  Jr. 


newTedition. 


f 


BOSTON: 

AMERICAN    UNITARIAN    ASSOCIATION. 

1867. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  m  the  year  1856, 

By  James  Munroe  and  Company, 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  liistrict  Court  of  MassachusetU 


PREFACE. 


In  presenting  to  the  religious  public  this 
L  Je  book,  the  writer  has  only  to  say,  that  he 
undertook  it  because  he  thought  that  a  work 
of  this  character  was  needed  and  would  be 
welcome.  During  his  active  ministry,  he  had 
often  felt  the  want  of  a  book  on  personal  re- 
ligion, different,  in  some  respects,  from  any 
which  had  fallen  in  his  way ;  and  when  com- 
pelled by  ill  health  to  relinquish  his  pastoral 
caresj  he  attempted  to  beguile  some  of  the 
languid  hours  of  a  weary  convalescence  by 
efforts  at  composing  such  an  one.  The  re- 
sult has  come  very  far  short  of  the  idea  which 
he  had  formed  in  his  mind.     The  book  was 

written  at  distant  and  uncertain  intervals,  upon 
b 


VI  PREFACE. 

journeys  and  in  pubKc  houses,  and  has  been 
now  revised  for  the  press  in  the  midst  of 
other  cares,  which  have  allowed  no  time  for 
giving  it  the  completeness  he  desired.  Yet, 
as  it  belongs  to  a  class  of  writings  of  whose 
importance  he  has  the  highest  sense,  and  the 
multiplication  of  which,  as  well  as  the  in- 
crease of  a  taste  for  their  perusal,  he  esteems 
in  the  highest  measure  desirable, — ^he  ven- 
tures to  hope  that  this  slight  effort  will  not  be 
wholly  lost ;  and  that  it  may  at  least  do  some- 
thing towards  exciting  others  to  a  preparation 
of  more  efficient  works,  which  shall  nourish 
the  spirit  of  devotion,  and  extend  the  power 
of  practical  faith. 

Cambridge,  May  16. 1831. 


CONTENTS. 


IlfTRODUCTION^ 1 

CHAPTER  I. 
The  JVature  of  Religion,  and  what  we  are  to 
seek. — Religion  described — exemplified  in  the 
character  of  Christ — an  arduous  attainment — 
caution  against  low  views        ....       6 

CHAPTER  II. 
Our  Power  to  obtain  that  which  we  seek. — The 
capacity  for  religion  in  human  nature — educa- 
tion— the  natural  and  the  spiritual  life — man's 
ability  to  do  the  will  of  God — false  humility — 
salvation  by  grace  .         .         .         .         .         IS 

CHAPTER  III. 

The  State  of  Mind  in  which  the  Inquirer  should 
sustain  himself. — Sense  of  unworthiness — anxi- 
ety of  mind — rules  to  be  observed  respecting 
retirement,  conversation,  public  meetings       .       34 

CHAPTER  IV. 

The  Means  of  Religious  Improvement       .       .      47 

I.  Reading. — Duty  of  seeking  religious  knowl- 

^  edge — its  advantages — time  to  be    given    to  it 

— the  Bible — to  be   read    for  instruction   in 

truth — for  self- application — selection   of  other 

books         .  .  .  ,  .  .  .47 


Vlll  CONTENTS. 

II.  Meditation. — Its  object — habitual  thoughtful 
ness — seasons  of  meditation — enjoyment  to  be 
expected  in  them — caution — three  purposes  to 

be  answered 68 

III.  Prayer. — Its  necessity  and  value — impor- 
tance of  set  times — method  to  be  observed — 
subjects  —  posture — language — frequency  and 
brevity— ejaculatory  prayer — faith,  fervor,  per- 
severance—answers to  prayer — topics — in  the 
name  of  Christ — caution — spirit  of  devotion  82 

IV.  Preaching. — A  divine  institution — necessity 
of  preparation  for  hearing — a  critical  disposition 
— reflection  on  what  has  been  heard — on  keep- 
ing a  record  of  sermons — weakness  of  memory 

— a  taste  for  preaching  to  be  pt-eserved     .      .      119 

V.  The  Lord's  Supper, — Its  object  two-fold,  pro- 
fession of  faith,  and  means  of  improvement — 
who  to  partake,  and  when — an  affecting  and 
comprehensive  rite — an  opportunity  for  silent 
worship — conclusion  .         .         .  136 

CHAPTER  V. 

The  Religious  Discipline  of  Life. — The  means 
of  religion  not  to  be  mistaken  for  the  end — 
watchfulness,  daily  duties  and  trials — discipline 
of  the  thoughts,  dispositions,  passions,  appetites 
— conversation — ordinary  deportment — guard  to 
be  kept  over  the  principles — and  over  the 
habits  .149 


FORMATION 


CHRISTIAN     CHARACTER. 


INTRODUCTION. 


I  AM  anxious  to  bespeak  the  reader's  right 
attention  before  he  enters  on  the  following 
pages.  They  have  been  written  only  for 
those  who  are  sincerely  desirous  of  knowing 
themselves,  and  are  bent  upon  forming  a  re- 
igious  character.  They  can  be  of  little 
nterest  or  value  to  any  other  person,  or  if 
read  with  any  other  view  than  that  of  self- 
improvement.  I  venture  therefore  to  entreat 
every  one,  into  whose  hands  the  book  may 
fall,  to  peruse  it,  as  it  has  been  written,  not 
for  entertainment,  but  for  moral  edification  ; 
to  read  it  at  those  seasons  when  he  is  seri- 
ously disposed,  and  can  reflect  upon  the 
1 


58  INTRODUCTION. 

important  topics  presented  to  his  view.  I 
am  solicitous  to  aid  him  in  the  formation  of 
his  Christian  character,  and  about  every 
other   result    I    am    indifferent. 

I  would  even  presume,  further,  to  warn 
one  class  of  readers,  and  that  not  a  small 
one,  against  a  danger  which  lurks  even  in 
their  established  respect  for  religion.  That 
general  regard  for  it,  which  grows  out  of  the 
circumstances  of  education  and  the  habits 
of  society,  may  be  rr'staken  for  a  religious 
state  of  mind ;  yet  it  is  perfectly  consistent 
with  religious  indifference.  A  man  may 
sincerely  honor,  advocate,  and  uphold  the 
religion  of  Christ  on  account  of  its  general 
influence,  its  beneficial  public  tendency,  its 
humane  and  civilizing  consequences,  without 
at  all  subjecting  his  own  temper  and  life  to 
its  laws,  or  being  in  any  proper  sense  a  sub- 
ject of  the  peculiar  happiness  it  imparts. 
This  is  perhaps  not  an  infrequent  case. 
Men  need  to  be  made  sensible  that  religion 
is  a  personal  thing,  a  matter  of  personal 
application  and  experience.  Unless  it  is  so 
considered,  it  will  scarcely  be  ai>  object  of 
earnest  pursuit,  or  of  fervent,  hearty  interest. 


INTRODUCTION.  3 

nor  can  it  exert  its  true  and  thorough  in- 
fluence on  the  character.  Indeed,  its  desi- 
rable influence  upon  the  state  of  society  can 
be  gained  only  through  this  deep  personal 
devotion  to  it  of  individuals;  because  none 
but  this  is  genuine  religion,  and  the  genuine 
only  can  exhibit  the  genuine  power. 

I  know  of  nothing  to  be  more  earnestly 
desired,  than  that  men  should  cease  to  look 
upon  religion  as  designed  for  others,  and 
should  come  to  regard  it  as  primarily  affect- 
ing themselves;  that  they  should  first  and 
most  seriously  study  its  relation  to  their  own 
hearts,  and  be  above  all  things  anxious  about 
their  own  characters.  His  is  but  a  partial 
and  unsatisfactory  faith,  which  is  concerned 
wholly  with  the  state  of  society  in  general,  and 
allows  him  to  neglect  the  discipline  of  his 
own  affections  and  the  culture  of  his  own 
spiritual  nature.  He  is  but  poorly  fitted  to 
honor  or  promote  the  cause  of  Christ,  who  has 
not  first  subjected  his  own  soul  to  his  holy 
government.  There  are  men  enough,  when 
Christianity  is  prevalent  and  honorable,  to 
lend  it  their  countenance  and  pay  it  external 
homage.     We  want  more  thorough,  consistent 


4  INTRODUCTION. 

exemplifications  of  its  purity,  benevolence, 
and  spirituality.  These  can  be  found  only  in 
men,  who  love  it  for  its  own  sake,  and  because 
it  is  *  the  wisdom  of  God  and  the  power  of  God 
unto  salvation,'  and  not  simply  because  it  is 
respectable  in  the  eyes  of  the  world,  and 
favorable  to  the  decency  and  order  of  the  com- 
monwealth. It  is  for  those  who  are  seeking 
this  end,  and  for  such  only,  that  I  write. 


V'^^'.i 


CHAPTER    1. 


THE  NATURE  OF  RELIGION,  AND   WHAT  WE  ARE 
TO  SEEK. 

In  order  to  the  intelligent  and  successful 
pursuit  of  any  object,  it  is  necessary,  first  of 
all,  to  have  a  definite  conception  of  what  we 
desire  to  effect  or  obtain.  This  is  especially 
important  in  the  study  of  Religion,  both 
because  of  the  extent  and  variety  of  the  sub- 
ject itself,  and  because  of  the  very  different 
apprehensions  of  men  respecting  it.  Many 
are  disheartened  and  fail,  in  consequence  of 
setting  out  with  wrong  views  and  false  ex- 
pectations. From  which  cause  religion  itself 
suffers  ;  being  made  answerable  for  failures, 
which  are  entirely  owing  to  the  unreasonable 
anticipations  and  ill-directed  efforts  of  those 
who  enlisted  in  her  service,  but  did  not  per- 
severe in  it. 

Let  us  begin,  then,  with  considering  what 
is  the  object  at  which  we  aim  when  we  seek 
a  religious  character. 
1* 


O  THE    NATURE    OF    RELIGION. 

Religion,  in  a  general  sense,  is  founded 
on  man's  relation  and  accountableness  to  his 
Maker :  and  it  consists  in  cherishing  the 
sentiments  and  performing  the  duties  which 
thence  result,  and  which  belong  to  the  other 
relations  to  other  beings  which  God  has  ap- 
pointed him  to  sustain. 

Concerning  these  relations,  sentiments,  and 
duties,  we  are  instructed  in  the  Scriptures, 
especially  in  the  New  Testament.  Religion, 
with  us,  is  the  Christian  religion.  It  is  found 
in  the  teachings  and  example  of  Jesus  Christ 
It  consists  in  the  worship,  the  sentiments,  and 
the  character,  which  he  enjoined,  and  which 
he  illustrated  m  his  own  person. 

What  you  are  to  seek,  therefore,  is,  under 
the  guidance  of  Jesus  Christ,  to  feel  your 
relation  to  God,  and  to  live  under  a  sense  of 
responsibility  to  him ;  to  cultivate  assiduously 
those  sentiments  and  affections  which  spring 
out  of  this  responsible  and  filial  relation,  as 
well  as  those  which  arise  out  of  your  connex- 
ion with  other  men  as  his  offspring;  to  per- 
form all  the  duties  to  Him  and  them,  which 
appertain  to  this  character  and  relation  ;  and 
to  cherish  that  heavenward  tendency  of  mind. 


THE    NATURE    OF    RELIGION.  7 

which  should  spring  from  a  consciousness  of 
possessing  an  immortal  nature.  He  who  does 
all  this  is  a  religious  man,  or,  in  oth<^.*  words, 
a  Christian. 

You  desire  to  be  a  Christian.  To  this  are 
requisite  three  things  :  belief  in  the  truths 
which  the  gospel  reveals;  possession  of  the 
state  of  mind  which  it  enjoins ;  and  perform- 
ance of  the  duties  which  it  requires:  or,  I 
may  ^ay,  the  subjection  of  the  mind  by  faith, 
the  subjection  of  the  heart  by  love,  the  sub- 
jection of  the  will  by  obedience.  This  uni- 
versal submission  of  yourself  to  God  is  what 
you  are  to  aim  at.     This  is  Religion. 

Observe  how  extensive  a  thing  it  is.  It  is  a 
principle  of  the  mind  ;  founded  upon  thought, 
reflection,  inquiry,  argument ;  and  leading  to 
devotion  and  duty  as  most  reasonable  and 
suitable  for  intelligent  beings. 

It  is  a  sentiment  or  affection  of  the  heart ; 
not  the  cold  judgment  of  the  intellect  alone,  in 
favor  of  what  is  right;  but  a  warm,  glowing 
feeling  of  preference  and  desire ;  a  feeling, 
which  attaches  itself  in  love  to  the  Father  of 
all  and  to  all  good  beings ;  which  turns  duty 
into  inclination,  and  pursues  virtue  from  im- 


8  THE    NATURE    OF    RELIGION. 

pulse;  which  prefers  and  delights  in  that 
which  is  well  pleasing  to  God,  and  takes  an 
afFectio:_ate  interest  in  the  things  to  which  the 
Saviour  devoted  himself. 

It  is  a  rule  of  life ;  it  is  the  law  of  God ; 
causing  the  external  conduct  to  correspond  to 
the  principle  which  is  established,  and  the 
sentiment  which  breathes,  within ;  bringing 
every  action  into  a  conformity  with  the  divine 
will,  and  making  universal  holiness  the  stan- 
dard of  the  character. 

The  Scriptures  represent  religion  under 
each  of  these  different  views.  As  a  principle^ 
it  is  called  Faith ;  and  in  this  view  is  Faith 
extolled  as  the  essential  thing  for  life  and 
sakation.  We  are  to  '  walk  by  faith.'  We 
are  '  saved  by  faith.' — As  a  sentiment,  it  is 
styled  Love.  Love  to  God  and  man  is  de- 
clared by  the  Saviour  to  be  the  substance  of 
religion ;  and  the  Apostles,  especially  John 
and  Paul,  every  where  represent  this  universal 
affection  as  the  essence  and  the  beauty  of  the 
Christian  character.  No  one  can  read  their 
language,  and  compare  with  it  the  life  of 
Christ,  without  perceiving  how  essentially  true 
reliojion  is  a  sentiment  of  the  heart. — As  a 


THE    NATURE    OF    RELIGION.  l» 

law  or  rule,  it  is  spoken  of  throughout  the 
Scriptures.  It  is  a  commandment  of  God, 
requiring  obedience.  We  are  Uo  do  his  will.' 
Christ  is  the  '  author  of  salvation  to  those  that 
obey  him.'  *  If  thou  wilt  enter  into  life,  keep 
the  commandments.'  *  He  who  keepeth  my 
commandments,  he  it  is  that  loveth  me.' 

In  the  general  complexion  of  Scripture,  and 
in  many  particular  passages,  these  several 
views  are  united  :  thus  we  are  told,  that '  the 
fruit  of  the  spirit  is  love,  joy,  peace,  long-suf- 
fering, gentleness,  goodness,  faith,  meekness, 
temperance  ;'  that  the  blessing  of  God  belongs 
to  the  humble,  penitent,  meek,  pure  in  heart, 
merciful,  and  peaceful ;  that  the  Christian 
character  consists  in  *  whatsoever  is  true, 
honest,  just,  pure,  lovely,  and  of  good  report :' 
in  adding  to  '  faith,  virtue,  knowledge,  tem- 
perance, patience,  godliness,  brotherly  kind- 
ness, and  charity  ;'  and  *  in  denying  ungodli- 
ness and  wordly  lusts,  and  living  soberly, 
righteously,  and  godly.'* 

Yoii  see,  then,  what  is  the  character  of  the 


*  Gal.  v.  22,  23.— Matthew,  v.  3-9.— Philip,  iv.  8. 
-2  Peter,  i.  6,  7  —Titus,  ii.  12. 


10  THE    NATURE    OF    RELIGION. 

religion  which  you  are  seeking.  You  per- 
ceive that  it  implies  the  absolute  supremacy 
of  the  soul  and  its  interests  over  all  the  ob- 
jects and  interests  of  the  present  state ;  and 
that  its  primary  characteristic  is  a  certain  state 
of  mind  and  affections.  It  is  not  the  external 
conduct,  not  the  observance  of  the  moral  law 
alone,  which  constitutes  a  religious  man ; 
but  the  principles  from  which  he  acts,  the 
motives  by  which  he  is  governed,  the  state  of 
his  heart.  A  principle  of  spiritual  life  per- 
vades his  intellectual  nature,  gives  a  complexion 
to  his  whole  temper,  and  is  the  spring  of  that 
moral  worth,  which  is  in  other  men  the  result 
of  education,  circumstances,  or  interest.  He 
is  actuated  by  a  prevailing  sense  of  God,  and 
the  desire  of  a  growing  resemblance  to  his 
moral  image.  He  is  possessed  with  the 
perpetual  consciousness  of  his  immortality  ; 
and  is  not  ashamed  to  deny  himself  any  of  the 
gratifications  of  the  present  hour,  when  there- 
by he  may  keep  his  mind  more  disengaged  for 
the  study  of  truth  and  the  contemplation  t)f  his 
highest  good.  Living  thus  with  his  chief 
sources  of  happiness  within  hnn,  he  bears  with 
equanimity  the  changes  and  trials  of  earth, 


THE    NATURE    OF    RELIGION.  11 

and  tastes  something  of  the  peculiar  felicity  of 
heaven,  which  is  *  righteousness,  and  peace, 
and  joy  in  a  holy  spirit ;'  and,  like  his  master, 
who  sojourned  below,  but  whose  affections 
were  above,  he  does  his  Father's  will  as  he 
passes  through  the  world,  but  has  treasured 
up  his  supreme  good  in  his  Father's  future 
presence. 

But  if  you  would  discern  the  full  excellence 
and  loveliness  of  the  religious  life,  do  not 
rest  satisfied  with  studying  the  law,  or  musing 
over  the  descriptions  of  it.  Go  to  the  perfect 
pattern,  which  has  been  set  before  the  be- 
liever for  his  guidance  and  encouragement. 
Look  unto  Jesus,  the  author  and  finisher  of 
your  faith.  In  him  are  exhibited  all  the  vir- 
tues which  you  are  to  practise,  all  the  affec- 
tions and  graces  which  you  are  to  cultivate. 
In  him  is  that  rich  assemblage  of  beautiful 
and  attractive  excellences,  which  has  been 
the  admiration  of  all  reflecting  men,  the 
astonishment  and  eulogy  of  eloquent  unbe- 
.^evers,  and  the  guide,  consolation,  and  trust, 
of  faithful  disciples.  In  the  dignity  and 
sweetness  which  characterize  him,  how 
strongly  do  we  feel  that  there  is  much  more 


12  THE    NATURE    OF    RELIGION. 

than  a  display  of  external  qualities,  conform- 
ity to  a  prescribed  rule,  and  graceful  propriety 
of  outward  demeanor.  Nothing  is  more 
striking  than  the  evident  connexion  of  every 
thing  which  he  said  and  did  with  something 
internal.  The  sentiment  and  disposition 
which  reign  within,  are  constantly  visible 
through  his  exterior  deportment;  and  we  re- 
gard his  words  and  his  deeds  less  as  distinct 
outward  things,  than  as  expressions  or  repre- 
sentations of  character.  As,  in  looking  on 
certain  countenances,  we  have  no  thought  of 
color,  feature,  or  form,  but  simply  of  the 
moral  or  intellectual  qualities  which  they 
suggest ;  so,  in  contemplating  the  life  of 
Jesus,  we  find  ourselves  perpetually  looking 
beyond  his  mere  actions,  and  fixing  our 
thoughts  on  the  qualities  which  they  indicate. 
His  life  is  but  the  expressive  countenance  of 
his  soul.  We  feel,  that,  though  in  the  midst 
of  present  things,  he  is  led  by  principles, 
wrapt  in  thoughts,  pervaded  by  sentiments, 
which  are  above  earth,  unearthly;  that  he  is 
walking  in  communion  with  another  sphere ; 
ffiid  that  the  objects  around  him  are  matters 
of  interest  to    him,  no    further  than  as  the) 


THE    NATURE    OF    RELIGION.  13 

afford  materials  for  the  exercise  of  his  benevo- 
lence, and  opportunities  for  doing  his  Fa 
ther's  will. 

This_js_Jhe  personification  of  religion. 
This  is  the  model  which  you  are  to  imitate. 
And  it  is  when  you  shall  be  imbued  with 
this  spirit,  when  you  shall  be  filled  with 
this  sentiment,  when  your  words,  actions, 
and  life,  shall  be  only  the  spontaneous  ex- 
pression of  this  state  of  mind, — it  is  then 
that  you  will  have  attained  the  religious 
character,  and  become  spiritually  the  child 
of  God.  You  will  have  built  up  the  king- 
dom of  God  within  you  ;  its  purity,  its  de- 
votion, and  its  peace,  will  be  shed  abroad  in 
your  heart,  and  thence  will  display  them- 
selves in  the  manners  and  conduct  of  your  life. 

To  attain  and  perfect  this  character  is  to 
be  the  object  of  your  desire,  and  the  busi- 
ness of  your  life.  You  must  never  lose  sight 
of  it.  In  all  that  you  learn,  think,  feel,  and 
do,  you  are  to  have  reference  to  this  end. 
Whatever  tends  to  promote  this,  you  are  to 
cherish  and  favor.  Whatever  hinders  this, 
or  in  any  degree  operates  injuriously  upon 
it,  you  are  to  discountenance  and  shun.  All 
2 


14  THE    NATURE    OF    REIJGTON. 

that  gives  bias  to  your  passions  and  appe- 
tites, to  your  inclinations  and  thoughts,  to 
your  opinion  of  yourself,  to  your  conduct 
toward  others,  your  private  or  public  employ- 
ment of  your  time,  your  business  and  gains, 
your  recreation  and  pleasures,  is  to  be  judged 
of  by  this  standard,  and  condemned  or  ap- 
proved accordingly.  You  are  to  feel  that 
nothing  is  of  such  consequence  to  you  as  the 
Christian  character  ;  that  to  form  this  is  the 
very  work  for  which  you  were  sent  into  the 
world  ;  that  if  this  be  not  done,  you  do  noth- 
ing,— you  had  better  never  have  been  born ; 
for  your  life  is  wasted  without  effecting  its 
object,  and  your  soul  enters  eternity  without 
having  secured  its  salvation.  The  provisions 
of  God's  mercy  are  slighted,  and,  for  you,  the 
Saviour  has  lived  and  died  in  vain. 

It  is  plain,  then,  that  the  work  to  which  you 
address  yourself  is  arduous  as  well  as  delight- 
ful. It  is  not  to  be  done  in  a  short  time,  nor 
by  a  few  indolent  or  violent  efforts ;  not  by  an 
exercise  of  speculative  reason,  nor  by  an  ex- 
citement of  feeling,  nor  by  assent  to  profes- 
sions, forms,  and  rites ;  not  by  a  love  of  hear- 
ing  the    word     preached,    nor    by  attention 


THE    NATURE    OF    RELIGION.  15 

to  the  morals  of  ordinary  life,  nor  by  stead- 
fastness in  the  virtues  which  are  easy  and 
pleasant ; — but  only  by  a  surrender  of  the 
whole  man  and  the  entire  life  to  the  will  of 
God,  in  faith,  affection,  and  action ;  by  a 
thorough  imitation  of  Jesus  in  the  devout 
and  humble  temper  of  his  mind,  in  the  spiritu- 
ality of  his  affections,  and  in  the  purity  and 
loveliness  of  his  conduct.  Any  thing  less 
than  this,  any  partial,  external,  superficial  con- 
formity to  a  rule  of  decent  living  or  ritual 
observance,  must  be  wholly  insufficient.  For 
it  cannot  mould  and  rule  the  character,  can- 
not answer  the  claims  of  the  Creator  upon 
his  creatures,  cannot  prepare  for  the  happi 
ness  which  Jesus  has  revealed  ;  a  happiness 
so  described,  and  so  constituted,  that  none  can 
be  fitted  for  it,  or  be  capable  of  enjoying  it,  but 
those  who  are  earnestly  and  entirely  conformed 
to  the  divine  will.  Who  can  relish  the  spirit- 
ual pleasures  of  eternity,  that  has  not  become 
spiritually  minded  ?  Who  could  enjoy  admis- 
sion to  the  society  of  Jesus  and  the  spirits  of 
the  just  made  perfect,  that  is  not  like  them  ** 
Why  should  one  hope  for  heaven,  and  how 
expect   to   be   happy  there,   if   he   have   not 


16  THE    NATURE    OF    RELIGION. 

formed  a  taste  for  its  habits  of  purity,  worship, 
and  love? 

Be  on  your  guard,  therefore,  from  the 
first,  against  setting  your  mark  too  low.  Do 
not  allow  yourself  to  be  persuaded  that  any 
thing  less  is  Religion,  or  will  answer  for  you, 
than  its  complete  and  highest  measure.  Re- 
member that  these  things  must  be  *  in  you  and 
abound.'  The  higher  you  aim,  the  higher 
you  will  reach;  but  if  content  with  a  low 
aim,  you  will  forever  fall  short.  The  scriptural 
word  is  Perfection,  Strive  after  that.  Never 
be  satisfied  while  short  of  it,  and  then  you 
will  be  always  improving.  But  if  you  set 
yourself  some  definite  measure  of  goodness, 
if  you  prescribe  to  yourself  some  limit  in 
devotion  and  love,  you  will  by  and  by  fancy 
you  have  reached  it,  and  thus  will  remain 
stationary  in  a  condition  far  below  what 
you  might  have  attained.  Remember  always, 
that  you  are  capable  of  being  more  devout, 
more  charitable,  more  humble,  more  devoted 
and  earnest  in  doing  good,  better  acquainted 
with  religious  truth ;  and  that,  as  it  is  impos- 
sible there  should  be  any  period  to  the  prog- 
ress of  the  human   soul,  so  it  is  impossible 


THE    NATURE    OF    RELIGION.  17 

that  the  endeavor  of  the  soul  should  be  too 
exalted.  It  is  because  men  do  not  think  of 
this,  or  do  not  practically  apply  it,  that  so 
many,  even  of  those  vi^ho  intend  to  govern 
themselves  by  religious  motives,  remain  so 
lamentably  deficient  in  excellence.  They 
adopt  a  low  or  a  partial  standard,  and  strive 
after  it  sluggishly,  and  thus  come  to  a  perioa 
in  religion  before  they  arrive  at  the  close  of 
life.  Happy  they  who  are  so  filled  with  long- 
ings after  spiritual  good,  that  they  go  on  im- 
proving to  the  end  of  their  days. 


18  OUR    POWER    TO    OBTAIN 


CHAPTER  II. 

OUR      POWER     TO     OBTAIN     THAT     WHICH      WE 
SEEK. 

The  account  which  has  been  given  of  reli- 
gion in  the  preceding  chapter,  shows  it  to  be 
consonant  to  man's  nature,  and  suited  to  the 
faculties  with  which  God  has  endowed  him. 
His  soul  is  formed  for  religion,  and  the  gospel 
has  been  adapted  to  the  constitution  of  his 
soul.  His  understanding  takes  cognizance 
of  its  truths,  his  conscience  applies  them,  his 
affections  are  capable  of  becoming  interested  in 
them,  and  his.  will  of  being  subject  to  them. 
There  can  be  no  moment  of  existence,  after 
he  has  come  to  the  exercise  of  his  rational 
faculties,  at  which  this  is  not  the  case.  As 
soon  as  he  can  love  and  obey  his  parents,  he 
can  love  and  obey  God ;  and  this  is  religion. 
The  capacity  of  doing  the  one  is  the  capacity 
of  doing  the  other. 

It  is  true,  the  latter  is  not  so  universally 
done  as  the  former ;  but  the  cause  is  not,  that 


THAT    WHICH    WE    SEEK.  19 

religion  is  unsuited  to  the  young,  but  that 
their  attention  is  engrossed  by  visible  objects 
and  present  pleasures.  Occupied  with  these, 
it  requires  effort  and  pains-taking  to  direct 
the  mind  to  invisible  things ;  to  turn  the 
attention  from  the  objects  which  press  them 
on  every  side,  to  the  abstract,  spiritual  objects 
of  faith.  Hence  it  is  easy  to  see,  that  the 
want  of  early  religion  is  owing,  primarily, 
to  the  circumstances  in  which  childhood  is 
placed,  and,  next,  to  remissness  in  education 
Worldly  things  are  before  the  child's  eye^ 
and  minister  to  its  gratification  every  hour 
and  every  minute  ;  biit  religious  things  are 
presented  to  it  only  in  a  formal  and  dry  way 
once  a  week.  The  things  of  the  world  are 
made  to  constitute  its  pleasures,  those  of 
religion  are  made  its  tasks.  It  is  made  to 
feel  its  dependence  on  a  parent's  love  every 
hour ;  but  is  seldom  reminded  of  its  depend- 
ence on  God,  and  then  perhaps  only  in  some 
stated  lesson,  which  it  learns  by  compulsion, 
and  not  m  the  midst  of  the  actual  engage- 
ments and  pleasures  of  its  little  life.  It 
partakes  of  the  caresses  of  its  human  parents, 
and    cannot    remember    the    time    when    it 


20  OUR    POWER    TO    OBTAIM 

was  not  an  object  of  tlieir  tenderness ;  so 
that  their  image  is  interwoven  wi<h  its  very 
existence.  But  God  it  has  never  seen,  and 
has  seldom  heard  of  him ;  his  name  and 
presence  are  banished  from  common  conver- 
sation, and  inferior  and  visible  agents  receive 
the  gratitude  for  gifts  which  come  from  him. 
So  also  the  parent's  authority  is  immediate 
and  visibly  exercised,  and  obedience  grows 
into  the  rule  and  habit  of  life.  But  the 
authority  of  God  is  not  displayed  in  any 
sensible  act  or  declaration  ;  it  is  only  heard 
of  at  set  times  and  in  set  tasks ;  and  thus  it 
fails  of  becoming  mingled  with  the  principles 
of  conduct,  or  forming  a  rule  and  habit  of 
subjection. — In  a  word,  let  it  be  considered 
how  little  and  how  infrequently  the  idea  of 
God  is  brought  home  to  the  child's  mind, 
even  under  the  most  favorable  circumstances, 
and  how  little  is  done  to  make  him  the 
object  of  love  and  obedience,  in  comparison 
with  what  is  done  to  unite  its  affections 
to  its  parents ;  while,  at  the  same  time,  the 
spirituality  and  invisibility  of  the  Creator 
render  it  necessary  that  even  more  should 
be  done ; — and  it  will  be  seen  that  the  wan' 


THAT    WHICH    WE    SEEK.  2i 

of  an  early  and  spontaneous  growth  of  the 
religious  character  is  not  owing  to  the  want 
of  original  capacity  for  religion,  but  is  to  be 
traced  to  the  unpropitious  circumstances  in 
which  childhood  is  passed,  and  the  want  of 
uniform,  earnest,  persevering  instruction. 

I  have  made  this  statement  for  two  rea- 
sons. First,  because  I  think  it  points  out 
the  immense  importance  of  a  religious  edu- 
cation, and  is  an  urgent  call  upon  parents 
for  greater  diligence  in  this  duty.  No  pa- 
rent will  deliberately  say,  in  excuse  for  his 
neglect,  that  his  children  are  incapable  of 
apprehending  and  performing  their  duty  to 
God.  He  will  perceive  that  the  same  opera- 
tion of  circumstances  and  of  unceasing  in- 
fluences, which  has  made  them  devoted  to 
him,  would  make  them  devoted  to  God ;  and 
religion  is  that  state  of  mind  toward  God, 
which  a  good  child  exercises  toward  a  parent. 
It  is  the  same  principle  and  the  same  affec- 
tions, fixing  themselves  on  an  infinitely  higher 
object.  Let  parents  be  aware  of  this,  and 
they  will  feel  the  call  and  the  encouragement 
to  a  more  systematic  and  affectionate  attention 
to  the  religious  instruction  of  their  children. 


22  OUR    POWER    TO    OBTAIN 

I  have  made  this  statement,  moreover,  be- 
cause it  offers  a  guide  to  those  who  have 
passed  through  childhood  without  permanent 
religious  impressions,  and  are  now  desirous 
of  attaining  them.  It  is  principally  for  such 
that  I  write.  They  may  be  divided  into 
many  classes;  some  more  and  some  less 
distant  from  the  kingdom  of  God ;  some 
profligate,  some  indifferent ;  some  with  much 
goodness  of  outward  performance,  but  with 
no  internal  principle  of  faith  and  piety ;  and 
some  without  even  external  conformity  to 
right.  But  however  differing  in  their  past 
course  of  life,  and  in  the  peculiar  habits 
and  dispositions  which  characterize  them,  in 
one  thing  they  now  agree, — they  are  sensible 
of  their  errors  and  sins,  and  desire  to  apply 
themselves  to  that  true  and  living  way,  which 
shall  lead  them  to  the  favor  of  God  and 
everlasting  life.  They  feel  that  there  is  a 
great  work  to  be  done,  a  great  change  to  be 
effected,  Qif;her  internally  or  externally,  or 
both,  and  they  are  desirous  to  learn  in  what 
manner  it  shall  be  accomplished. 

To  such  persons  the  statement  which  I 
have  made  above  may  be  useful.     Let  thera 


THAT    WHICH    WE    SEEK.  23 

look  back  to  h,  and  reflect  upon  it.  God 
has  given  them  powers  for  doing  the  work 
which  he  has  assigned  to  them.  That  work 
is  expressed  in  one  word — the  comprehen- 
sive name  Religion.  That  work  they  should 
have  begun  and  perseveringly  pursued  from 
their  earliest  days.  But  they  have  done 
otherwise.  They  have  wandered  from  duty, 
and  been  unfaithful  to  God.  They  have 
gone  far  from  him,  like  the  unwise  prodigal^ 
and  wasted  the  portion  he  gave  them  in 
vicious  or  unprofitable  pursuits.  They  have 
cultivated  the  animal  life;  they  have  lived 
*  according  to  the  flesh.'  They  need  to  cul- 
tivate the  spiritual  life;  to  live  'according 
to  the  spirit.'  There  is  an  animal  life,  and 
there  is  a  spiritual  life.  Man  is  born  into 
the  first  at  the  birth  of  his  body  ;  he  is  born 
into  the  second  when  he  subjects  himself  to 
the  power  of  religion,  and  prefers  his  ration- 
al and  immortal  to  his -sensual  nature.  Dur- 
ing his  earliest  days,  he  is  an  animal  only, 
pursuing,  like  other  animals,  the  wants  and 
desires  of  his  body,  and  consulting  his  pres- 
ent gratification  and  immediate  interest.  But 
it  is  not  designed  that  he  shall  continue  thus. 


24  OUR    POWER    TO    OBTAIN 

He  is  made  for  something  better  and  higher 
He  has  a  nobler  nature  and  nobler  interests. 
He  must  learn  to  live  for  these ;  and  this 
learning  to  feel  and  value  his  spiritual  nature, 
and  to  live  for  eternity;  this  change  from 
the  animal  and  earthly  existence  of  infancy, 
to  a  rational,  moral,  spiritual  existence, — this 
it  is  to  be  born  into  the  spiritual  life.  This  is 
a  renovation  of  principle  and  purpose  through 
which  every  one  must  pass.  Every  one  must 
thus  turn  from  his  natural  devotion  to  things 
earthly  to  a  devotion  to  things  heavenly. 
This  change  it  is  the  object  of  the  gospel  to 
effect;  and  we  seek  no  less  than  this,  when 
we  seek  the  influence  of  the  gospel  on  our 
souls. 

Now,  the  persons  of  whom  I  am  speaking 
have  not  yet  acquired  this  new  taste  and  prin- 
ciple. It  has  made  with  them  no  part  of 
the  process  of  education.  It  is  yet  to  be 
acquired.  They  are  desirous  of  acquiring 
it.  Let  them  first  be  persuaded  of  its  absolute 
necessity.  Until  this  is  felt,  nothing  can  be 
effectually  done.  Without  it,  there  will  be  no 
such  strenuous  effort  for  religious  attainment 
as   is  necessary  to    success.      Many  person? 


THAT    WHICH    WE    SEEK.  25 

have  at  times,  some  have  frequently,  a  certain 
conviction  upon  their  minds,  that  they  are 
not  passing  their  lives  as  they  ought,  and 
they  make  half  a  resolution  to  do  differently. 
They  are  ill  content  with  their  condition ;  they 
long  to  be  free  from  the  reproaches  of  con- 
science ;  they  wish  to  be  assured  that  their 
souls  are  safe.  But,  although  uneasy  and  dis- 
satisfied, they  take  no  steps  towards  improving 
their  condition,  because  they  have  no  proper 
persuasion  of  its  absolute  necessity.  They  must 
be  deeply  convinced  of  this.  They  must  strong- 
ly feel  that  a  state  of  indifference  is  a  state  of 
danger ;  that  they  are  on  the  brink  of  ruin, 
so  long  as  they  are  alienated  from  God,  and 
governed  by  passion,  appetite,  and  inclination, 
rather  than  a  sense  of  duty.  And  such  is 
the  power  of  habit,  that  they  in  vain  hope  to 
be  delivered  from  its  bondage,  and  to  become 
consistent  followers  of  Christ,  unless  a  strong 
feeling  shall  lead  them  to  make  a  resolute, 
energetic  effort.  If  they  allow  themselves  to 
fancy  that  it  will  be  time  enough  by  and  by ; 
that,  after  all,  the  case  is  not  very  desperate, 
but  can  be  remedied  at  any  time ;  and  that 
h  would  be  a  pity  yet  to  abandon  their  pleas- 
3 


2b  OUR    POWER    TO    OBTAIN 

ant  vices; — then  there  is  no  hope  for  them 
They  are  cherishing  the  most  dangerous  of  all 
states  of  mind  ;  a  state,  which  prevents  all  real 
desire  for  improvement,  is  coatinually  weaken- 
ing their  power  of  change,  and  absolutely 
destroys  the  prospect  of  amendment.  They 
must  begin  the  remedy  by  a  persuasion  of  its 
necessity.  They  must  feel  it  so  strongly,  that 
they  cannot  rest  content  without  immediately 
subjecting  themselves  to  the  dominion  of  reli- 
gion,— as  a  starving  man  feels  the  necessity  of 
immediately  applying  to  the  search  for  food. 
No  man  will  give  himself  to  the  thoughts, 
studies,  devotions,  and  charities,  of  a  religious 
life,  who  does  not  find  them  essential  to  the 
satisfaction  and  peace  of  his  mind,  that  is, 
who  is  satisfied  without  them.  Cherish  there- 
fore the  conviction  of  this  necessity.  Cultivate 
by  every  possible  means  a  deep  persuasion 
of  the  truth,  that  the  service  and  love  of  God 
are  the  only  sufl[icient  sources  of  happiness ; 
and  that  only  pain  and  shame  can  await  him 
who  withholds  his  soul  from  the  light  and 
purity  for  which  it  was  made. 

Feeling  thus  the  importance  of  a  religious 
hfe,  let  them  next  be  persuaded  that  its  attain- 


THAT    WHICH    WE    SEEK.  27 

ment  is  entirely  in  their  power.  It  is  but  to 
use  the  faculties  which  God  has  given  them, 
in  the  work  and  with  the  aid  which  God 
has  appointed.  No  one  will  venture  to 
say  that  he  is  incapable  of  this.  A  religious 
life,  as  we  have  seen,  grt)ws  out  of  the  rela- 
tions in  which  man  stands  to  God  and  his  fel- 
low men ;  and  as  he  is  made  accountable  for 
the  performance  of  the  duties  of  these  rela- 
tions, it  is  impossible  that  he  is  not  created 
capable  of  performing  them.  It  were  as  rea- 
sonable to  urge  that  a  child  cannot  love  and 
obey  its  father  and  mother,  as  that  a  man 
cannot  love  and  obey  God. 

Yet  it  so  happens,  that  some  profess  to  be 
deterred  from  a  religious  course,  by  the  appre- 
hension that  it  is  not  in  their  power;  it  is 
something  which  it  must  be  given  them  to 
do ;  a  work  which  must  be  wrought  in  them 
by  a  supernatural  energy ;  they  must  wait  till 
their  time  has  come.  But  every  apology  for 
irreligion,  founded  on  reasons  like  this,  is  evi- 
dently deceptive.  It  proceeds  upon  wrong 
notions  respecting  the  divine  aid  imparted  to 
man.  That  this  aid  is  needed  and  is  given  in 
the  Christian  life,  is  a  true  and   comforting 


28  OUR    POWER    TO    OBTAIN 

doctrine.  But  that  it  is  to  supersede  human 
exertion,  that  it  is  a  reason  for  indolence 
and  religious  neglect,  is  a  false  and  pernicious 
notion, — countenanced,  I  will  venture  to  af- 
firm, by  no  one  whose  opinion  or  example  is 
honored  or  followed  in  the  Christian  church 
On  the  contrary,  all  agree  in  declaring  with 
the  Apostle,  that  while  *  God  works  in  us  to 
will  and  to  do,'  we  are  to  *  work  out  our  own 
salvation  ;'  and  to  do  it  with  *  fear  and  trem- 
bling,' because,  after  all,  these  divine  influences 
will  be  vain  without  our  own  diligence. 

In  some  persons,  this  notion  takes  the  form 
of  a  real  or  fancied  humility.  They  fear  lest 
they  be  found  seeking  salvation  through  their 
own  works,  and  relying  on  their  own  merits. 
3ut  what  a  strange  humility  this,  which  leads 
to  a  disregard  of  the  divine  will,  and  disobedi- 
ence to  the  divine  commands  ;  which  virtually 
says,  *  I  will  continue  in  sin  that  grace  may 
abound  !'  Let  me  ask,  too,  Who  will  trust  to 
receive  salvation  without  actual  obedience? 
Where  is  it  promised  to  those  who  will  do 
nothing  in  the  way  of  self-government  and 
active  virtue  ?  Where  is  it  offered  to  any,  but 
those  who    seek    it   by  *  bringing    forth  fruits 


THAT    WHICH    WE    SEEK.  29 

meet  for  repentance,'  and  by  *  patient  continu- 
ance in  well-doing  V 

And  let  none  fear  lest  this  make  void  the 
grace  of  God.  For  how  is  it  that  grace  leads 
to  salvation  ?  Is  it  by  arbitrarily  fitting  the 
soul  for  it,  and  ushering  it  into  heaven  with- 
out its  own  cooperation  ?  Or  is  it  not  rather 
by  opening  a  free  highway  to  the  kingdom  of 
life,  through  which  all  may  walk  and  be  saved? 
This  is  what  the  Saviour  has  done;  he  has 
made  the  path  of  life  accessible  and  plain,  has 
thrown  open  the  gate  of  heaven,  has  taught 
men  how  to  enter  in  and  reach  their  bliss. 
Whoever  pursues  this  path,  and  enters 
*  through  the  gate  into  the  city,'  is  saved  by 
grace.  For  though  he  has  used  his  own 
powers  to  travel  on  this  highway,  yet  he  did 
not  establish  that  highway  ;  nor  could  he  have 
traversed  it  without  guidance  and  aid;  nor 
could  he  have  opened  for  himself  the  door  of 
entrance.  Heaven  is  still  a  free  gift,  inasmuch 
as  it  is  granted  by  infinite  benignity  to  those 
who  did  not,  do  not,  and  cannot  deserve  it. 
Yet  there  are  certain  conditions  to  be  perform- 
ed. And  to  refuse  the  performance  of  those 
conditions,  on  the  plea  that  you  thus  derogate 
3* 


30  OUR    POWER    TO    OBTAIN 

from  the  mercy  of  God,  and  do  something  to 
purchase  or  merit  happiness,  is  a  madness 
which  ought  to  be  strenuously  opposed,  or  it 
will  leave  you  to  perish  in  your  sins. 

These  two  things,  then,  may  be  regarded  as 
^axioms  of  the  religious  life ;  first,  that  a 
man's  own  labors  are  essential  to  his  salvation  ; 
second,  that  his  utmost  virtue  does  nothing 
toward  purchasing  or  meriting  salvation. 
When  he  has  done  all  his  duty,  he  is  still,  as 
the  Saviour  declares,  but  an  *  unprofitable  ser- 
vant.' He  has  been  more  than  recompensed 
by  the  blessings  of  this  present  life.  That 
the  happiness  of  an  eternal  state  may  be 
attained,  in  addition  to  these,  is  a  provision  of 
pure  grace ;  and  it  is  mere  insanity  to  neglect 
the  duties  of  religion  through  any  fear  lest 
you  should  seem  to  be  seeking  heaven  on  the 
ground  of  your  own  desert.  Virtue  would  be 
your  duty,  though  you  were  to  perish  forever 
at  the  grave ;  and  that  God  has  opened  to  his 
children  the  prospect  of  a  future  inheritance 
infinitely  disproportioned  to  their  merit,  is  only 
a  further  reason  for  making  virtue  your  first 
and  chief  pursuit. 

It  is  true  there  is  great  infirmity  in  human 


THAT    WHICH    WE    SEEK.  31 

nature,  and  you  will  find  yourself  perplexed 
and  harassed  by  temptations  from  without 
and  within.  Passion,  appetite,  pleasure,  and 
care,  solicit  and  urge  you,  and  render  it  not 
easy  to  keep  yourself  unspotted  from  the 
world.  But  what  then?  Does  this  excuse 
the  want  of  exertion?  Is  this  a  good  reason 
for  sitting  idly  with  folded  arms,  and  saying, 
It  is  all  vain ;  I  am  wretchedly  weak ;  I  can- 
not undertake  this  work,  till  God  gives  me 
strength  ?  Believe  me,  there  is  no  humility 
in  this.  Think  of  yourself  and  of  your  de- 
serts as  humbly  as  you  please ;  but  to  think  so 
meanly  of  the  powers  God  has  given  you,  as 
to  deem  them  insufficient  for  the  work  he  has 
assigned  you,  is  less  humility  than  ingratitude 
and  want  of  faith.  Nothing  is  truer  than 
this, — that  your  work  is  proportioned  to  your 
powers,  and  your  trials  to  your  strength.  *  No 
temptation  hath  taken  you  but  such  as  is  com- 
mon to  man;  but  God  is  faithful,  who  will 
not  suffer  you  to  be  tempted  above  that  ye 
are  able;  but  will,  with  the  temptation,  also 
make  a  way  to  escape,  that  ye  may  be  able  to 
bear  it.*  Here  is  the  manifestation  of  peculiar 
grace  :  when  a  sincere  and  humble  spirit,  in 


32  OUR    POWER    TO    OBTAIN 

its  earnest  search  for  the  true  way,  encounter? 
obstacles,  hardships,  and  opposition,  at  this 
moment  it  is,  that  aid  from  on  high  is  inter- 
posed. The  promise  to  Paul  is  fulfilled,  *  My 
strength  is  made  perfect  in  weakness.'  *  The 
spirit  helpeth  our  infirmities.'  Let  it  be, 
then,  that  human  nature  is  weak  ;  no  work  is 
appointed  greater  than  its  power,  and  it  *  can 
do  all  things  through  Christ  who  ^trength- 
eneth.* 

Be  thoroughly  persuaded,  therefore,  that  the 
work  before  you  is  wholly  within  your  power. 
Nothing  has  a  more  palsying  effect  on  one's 
exertions  in  any  enterprise,  than  the  doubt 
whether  he  be  equal  to  it.  Something  like 
confidence  is  necessary  to  enable  him  to  pur- 
sue it  vigorously  and  perseveringly.  It  is  as 
necessary  in  action,  as  the  Apostle  represents 
it  to  be  in  prayer.  *  He  that  wavereth  or 
doubteth  is  like  a  wave  of  the  sea,  driven  by 
the  wind  and  tossed.*  But  when  he  has  con- 
fidence, as  the  Christian  may  have,  that  his 
strength  is  equal  to  his  task,  that  he  cannot  fail 
if  he  resolutely  go  forward,  and  that  all  hinder- 
ances  must  disappear  before  a  steady  and  in- 
dustrious zeal,  which  leans  upon  God,  and  is 


THAT    WHICH    WE    SEEK.  33 

Strong  in  the  power  of  the  Lord, — then  he 
presses  on  with  alacrity,  encounters  trials  with- 
out alarm,  and  is  *  steadfast,  immovable,  al- 
ways abounding  in  the  work  of  the  Lord ; 
knowing  that  his  labor  is  not  in  vain  in  the 
Lord ;'  for  that  nothing  but  his  own  fault  can 
bar  him  out  of  heaven,  or  cause  him  to  fail  of 
eternal  life. 

And  all  this  is  perfectly  consistent  with  the 
deepest  humility,  and  the  profoundest  sense  of 
dependence  on  God. 


Ji4  THE    STATE    OF    MIND 


CHAPTER  III. 

TUB  STATE  OF    MIND    IN  WHICH    THE    INQUIRER 
SHOULD    SUSTAIN     HIMSELF. 

All  this,  I  say,  is  perfectly  consistent  with 
the  deepest  humility  and  most  unassuming  de- 
pendence upon  God.  If  it  were  not,  it  would 
be  false  and  wrong ;  for  a  humble  and  depen- 
dent disposition  is  a  prime  requisite  in  the 
Christian ;  a  grace  to  be  especially  cultivated 
at  the  beginning  of  the  religious  course.  It  is 
concerning  this  state  of  mind  that  we  are  now 
to  speak. 

Deep  religious  impressions  are  always  ac- 
companied by  a  sense  of  personal  un worthi- 
ness, and  not  unfrequently  commence  with 
it.  It  is  man's  acquaintance  with  himself, 
which  leads  him  most  earnestly  to  seek  the  ac- 
quaintance of  God,  and  to  perceive  the  need 
of  his  favor.  The  sense  of  sin,  the  feeling 
that  his  life  has  not  been  right,  that  his  heart 
is  not  pure,  that  his  thoughts,  dispositions,  ap- 
petites, passions,  have  not  been  duly  regulated, 


NECESSARY  inu  THE  INQUIRER.     35 

ihat  he  has  lived  according  to  his  own  will,  and 
not  that  of  God,  that,  if  taken  from  his  worldly 
possessions,  he  has  no  other  object  of  desire 
and  affection  to  which  his  heart  could  cling, 
if  called  to  judgment  for  the  use  of  his  powers 
and  privileges,  he  must  be  speechless  and 
hopeless ;  all  this  rises  solemnly  to  his  mind, 
and  sinks  him  low  under  a  sense  of  ill  desert 
and  shame.  He  sees  that  he  might  have  been, 
ought  to  have  been,  better;  that  he  might 
have  been,  ought  to  have  been,  obedient  to 
God,  and  a  follower  of  all  that  is  good.  He 
cannot  excuse  himself  to  himself.  Every  effort 
to  palliate  his  guilt,  only  shows  him  its  aggrava- 
tion ;  and  he  cries  out,  with  the  penitent  prodi- 
gal, *  Father,  I  have  sinned  against  heaven,  and 
in  thy  sight,  and  am  no  more  worthy  to  be  call- 
ed thy  son.'  He  has  offended  against  knowl- 
edge and  opportunity,  and  in  spite  of  instruction 
and  warning.  He  looks  back  to  the  early  and 
innocent  days,  when,  if  his  Saviour  had  been 
on  earth,  he  might  have  taken  him  to  his  arms, 
and  said,  *  Of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  God.' 
But,  alas !  how  has  he  been  changed !  He  has 
parted  with  that  innocence,  he  has  strayed 
from   the  kingdom  of  heaven,  he  has    defiled 


36  THE    bTATE    OF    MIND 

and  lost  the  image  of  his  Maker.  While  he 
dwells  on  this  thought  of  what  he  was,  and 
what  he  might  have  become,  and  contrasts  it 
with  what  he  is,  he  is  filled  with  remorse.  He 
exaggerates  to  himself  all  his  failings,  paints, 
m  blacker  colors  than  even  the  truth,  all  his 
iniquities,  counts  himself  the  chief  of  sinners, 
and  is  almost  ready  to  despair  of  mercy. 

When  the  mind  is  strongly  agitated  in  this 
way,  it  is  surprising  how  the  characters  of  very 
different  men  become,  as  it  were,  equalized. 
Of  many  individuals,  differing  in  the  most 
various  ways  as  regards  the  number  and  nature, 
the  magnitude  and  circumstances  of  their  of- 
fences, and  most  widely  separated  in  the  ac- 
tual scale  of  demerit,  each,  at  such  a  season, 
regards  himself  as  the  most  guilty  of  men. 
Sometimes  the  high-wrought  expressions,  in 
which  the  victim  of  remorse  vents  the  excru- 
ciating anguish  of  his  mind,  are  accounted  af- 
fectation and  hypocrisy.  But  there  can  be  no 
good  reason  to  doubt  that  they  are  entirely  sin- 
cere. The  man  honestly  describes  himself  as 
he  seems  to  himself  at  the  time.  He  is,  in  his 
own  eyes,  the  wretch  he  draws.  And  this  is 
very  easily  explained.     He  sees  at  one  view 


NECESSARY  FOR  THE  INQUIRER.     37 

all  his  past  sins,  open  and  secret,  his  thought- 
lessness, ingratitude,  negligence,  and  omis- 
sions, his  depraved  inclinations,  evil  desires, 
and  cherished  lusts,  which  no  one  else  knows, 
and  which  no  one  else  could  compare,  as  he 
can,  with  his  privileges  and  obligations.  All 
these  he  sets  by  the  side,  not  of  the  hidden  and 
private  life  of  others,  but  of  their  decent  public 
demeanor.  He  compares  them,  too,  not  with 
the  standard  of  worldly,  outward  morality,  but 
with  the  strict,  searching,  holy  requisitions  of 
the  law  of  God.  And  in  such  a  comparison, 
at  such  a  moment,  he  cannot  but  regard  him- 
self as  most  unworthy  and  depraved. 

And  we  need  not  be  too  anxious  at  once  to 
correct  this  feeling.  The  abasement  is  well ; 
for  no  one  can  feel  guilt  too  strongly,  or  ab- 
hor sin  too  deeply.  The  time  will  come, 
when  he  will  learn  to  follow  the  direction  of 
the  Apostle,  and  'think  of  himself  soberly, 
as  he  ought  to  think.'  But  at  this  first  fair 
inspection  of  the  deformities  of  his  character, 
it  is  not  to  be  expected  that  he  should  make 
his  estimate  with  perfect  sobriety.  Only  let 
every  thing  be  done  to  guide,  and  soothe,  and 
encourage  him,  and  nothing  to  exasperate 
4 


38  THE    STATE    OF    MIND 

his  self-condemnation,  or  drive  him  to  insanity 
or  despair. 

But  such  a  state  of  mind  as  I  have  describ- 
ed, though  not  uncommon,  and  by  many 
cherished  as  the  most  desirable  and  suitable 
at  the  commencement  of  the  religious  life 
is  by  no  means  universal  at  that  period,  and 
cannot  be  regarded  as  essential.  The  expe- 
rience of  different  individuals  in  this  respect 
greatly  varies,  and  is  much  affected  by  temper 
and  disposition,  as  well  as  by  other  circum- 
stances. Many  excellent  Christians  have 
never  been  subjected  to  those  violent  and 
torturing  emotions,  w^hich  have  shaken  ano 
convulsed  others.  Their  course  has  been 
placid  and  serene,  though  solemn  and  humble. 
They  have  felt  their  sin,  and  have  mourned 
beneath  it,  and  in  deep  humiliation  have 
sought  its  forgiveness ;  but  without  any  thing 
of  terrified  emotion  or  gloomy  despondency. 
They  have  been  gently  won  to  truth  by  the 
mild  invitations  of  parental  love,  without 
needing  the  fearful  denunciations  of  punish- 
ment and  wrath  to  awaken  them.  This 
difference  among  individuals  is  owing  partly, 
as  I  said,  to  constitutional   difference  of  tem- 


NECESSARY  FOR  THE  INQUIRER.     39 

perament,  which  renders  it  impossible  that 
the  same  representations  should  affect  all 
alike  ;  and  partly  to  the  different  modes  in 
which  religion  is  presented  to  different  minds ; 
having  first  appeared  to  some  in  its  harsher 
features,  as  to  the  Jews  on  Sinai,  and  to  others 
in  the  milder  form  of  a  Saviour's  compassion. 
But  however  this  may  be,  and  however  the 
humiliation  of  one  may  wear  a  different 
complexion  from  that  of  another,  it  is  a  state 
of  mind  sincere  and  heartfelt  in  all,  to  be 
studiously  cherished,  and  to  be  made  per- 
manent in  the  character. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  Christian  life,  this 
feeling  assumes  the  form  of  anxiety,  as  it 
afterward  leads  to  watchfulness.  This  word 
may,  perhaps  as  well  as  any,  describe  the 
state  of  those  for  whom  I  am  writing.  They 
are  anxious  about  themselves,  about  their 
characters,  their  condition,  their  prospects. 
They  are  anxious  to  know  what  they  shall 
do  to  be  saved,  and  to  gain  satisfactory  assu- 
rance that  they  shall  be  pardoned  and  accepted 
of  God.  This  is  a  most  reasonable  solicitude. 
What  can  be  more  reasonable  than  such  a 
solicitude  for  the  greatest   and   most   lasting 


40  THE    STATE    OP    MIND 

good  of  man  ?  What  more  becoming  a 
rational  creature,  whose  eternal  welfare  is 
dependent  on  his  own  choice  between  good 
and  evil,  than  this  desire  to  know  and  pursue 
the  right  ?  this  earnest  thoughtfulness  respect- 
ing his  condition?  and  this  inquiry  for  the 
true  end  of  his  being  ?  If  a  person,  hitherto 
thoughtless,  is  in  this  state  of  mind,  he  is  to 
be  congratulated  upon  it.  We  are  to  be 
thankful  to  God  in  his  behalf,  that  another 
immortal  soul  is  awake  to  its  responsibility, 
and  seeking  real  happiness.  We  would  urge 
him  to  cherish  the  feelings  which  possess  him ; 
not  with  melancholy  despondency ;  not  with 
superstitious  gloom  ;  not  with  unmanly  and 
unmeaning  debasement ;  but  with  thoughtful, 
self-distrusting  concern,  with  deliberate  study 
for  the  path  of  duty,  and  a  resolute  purpose 
not  to  swerve  from  it. 

Remember  that  much  depends,  I  might 
say,  every  thing  depends,  on  the  use  you 
make  of  this  your  present  disposition.  Be 
faithful  to  it,  obey  its  promptings,  let  it  form 
:n  you  the  habit  of  devout  reflection  and 
religious  action,  and  all  must  be  well.  The 
issue  will  be  the  Christian  character,  and  the 


NECESSARY    FOR    THE    INQUIRER.  41 

soul's  salvation.  But  reilise  to  cherish  this 
disposition,  drive  it  from  you,  smother  and 
silence  it,  and  you  will  probably  do  yourself 
an  everlasting  injury.  It  is  like  putting 
out  a  fire  which  has  just  been  lighted,  and 
which  may  with  difficulty  be  kindled  again. 
It  is  trifling  with  the  sensibility  of  conscience, 
it  is  bringing  hardness  upon  your  heart ;  and 
there  is  less  prospect  that  you  will  afterward 
arrive  at  an  habitual  and  controlling  regard 
for  your  religious  interests.  This  it  is  to 
*  quench  the  spirit.' 

Be  sensible,  therefore,  that  this  is  a  critical 
moment  in  the  history  of  your  character,  that 
it  is  in  many  respects  the  decisive  point  at 
which  your  destiny  is  to  be  determined.  For 
now  it  is,  in  all  probability,  that  the  bias  of 
your  mind  is  to  be  determined  for  good  or 
evil.  Be  sensible,  then,  how  necessary  it  is 
that  you  keep  alive,  and  cultivate  by  all  possi- 
ble means,  this  tenderness  of  heart.  Avoid 
every  pursuit,  engagement,  and  company, 
which  you  find  to  be  inconsistent  with  it,  or 
unfavorable  to  it,  or  tending  to  destroy  it. 
Scenes  at  other  times  innocent,  should  now 
be  shunned,  if  they  operate  to  turn  the  current 
4  *^  E 


42  THE    STATE    OF    MIND 

of  your  affections ;  for  you  are  engaging  in  a 
great  work,  the  giving  your  heart  a  permanent 
bias  toward  God,  and  it  ought  not  to  be 
interrupted.  While  this  is  doing,  you  can 
well  afford  to  withdraw  from  many  scenes  you 
might  otherwise  frequent,  and  indeed  you  can 
ill  afford  the  risk  of  exposing  yourself  to  their 
influence. 

It  may  be  well  to  observe  another  caution. 
Say  nothing  of  your  thoughts  and  feelings 
to  any,  but  one  or  two  confidential  friends. 
Many  a  religious  character  has  been  spoiled 
in  the  forming,  by  too  much  talk  with  too 
many  persons.  The  best  religious  character 
is  formed  in  retirement,  by  much  silent 
reflection,  and  private  reading  and  prayer. 
What  the  soul  needs  above  all  things,  is  to 
commune  with  itself  and  with  God ;  then  it 
is  established,  strengthened,  settled.  But  if 
a  man  go  out  from  his  closet,  and  seek  for 
instruction  and  guidance  by  talking  with  all 
who  will  talk  with  him,  he  fritters  away  his 
feelings ;  his  frame  becomes  less  deeply  and 
essentially  spiritual ;  words  take  the  place 
of  sentiment;  and  he  is  very  likely  to  be* 
come  a  talkative,   fluent,   superficial  religion- 


NECESSARY  FOR  THE  INQUIRER.     43 

ist,  with  much  show  of  sound  doctrine,  and 
a  goodly  readiness  of  sound  speech,  but 
without  substantial  principle.  Shun,  there- 
fore, rather  than  seek,  much  communication 
with  many  persons.  But  some  counsel  and 
encouragement  you  may  need.  Apply,  there- 
fore, to  your  minister.  He  is  your  legitimate 
and  true  counsellor,  and  he  will  be  glad,  in 
friendly  and  confidential  intercourse,  to  lead 
you  on.  You  may  have  also  some  pious 
friend,  to  whom,  possibly,  you  may  unbosom 
yourself  more  freely  than  you  have  courage  to 
do  to  your  minister;  and  he  may,  in  some 
particulars,  give  you  aid,  which  the  situation 
of  the  pastor  may  put  it  out  of  his  power  to 
afford.  In  this  manner,  feel  your  way  along 
quietly,  silently,  steadily.  Let  the  growth 
within  you  be  like  that  of  the  grain  of  wheat, 
which  germinates  in  secret,  and  springs  up 
without  observation,  and  attracts  little  notice 
of  men,  till  it  shows  *the  ear  and  the  full 
corn  in  the  ear.'  Be  anxious  to  establish 
yourself  firmly  in  the  power  of  godliness, 
before  you  exhibit  its  form. 

In  connexion  with  this,  it  may  be  well  to 
add   a  caution  on  a  kindred  point.     Do  not 


44  THE    STATE    OF    MIND 

spend  too  much  time  in  public  meetings. 
You  will,  of  course,  be  desirous  to  hear  the 
preaching  of  the  gospel.  You  feel  as  if  you 
could  not  hear  it  too  often  or  too  much.  You 
wonder  that  preaching  should  never  before 
have  seemed  so  interesting.  You  listen  with 
unstopped  ears;  and  prayers,  hymns,  and 
sermons,  fall  upon  your  spirit  as  if  you  had 
been  gifted  with  a  new  sense.  It  is  well  that 
it  is  so.  By  all  means  cherish  this  ardent 
interest  in  public  worship.  But  do  not 
indulge  it  to  excess.  Let  your  moderation 
be  seen  in  giving  to  this  its  proper  place  and 
importance  in  your  time  and  regard.  It  is 
not  the  only  religious  enjoyment  or  means  of 
improvement  in  your  power;  and  it  may 
possibly  be  mere  self-indulgence  which  carries 
one  from  meeting  to  meeting.  Remember 
that  no  duty  towards  others  is  to  be  neglected 
in  the  search  for  personal  improvement ;  this 
would  be  sin.  And  it  is  at  times  a  higher 
duty  to  attend  to  your  family,  to  be  with  your 
friends,  to  instruct  your  children,  to  consult 
the  feelings  and  yield  to  the  prejudices  of  a 
husband  or  wife,  a  parent,  brother  or  sister, 
than  it  is  to  pursue  your  own  single  advantage, 


NECESSARY  FOR  THE  INQUIRER.     45 

it  may  be  your  own  gratification,  by  going  oiu 
to  social  worship.  And  if  it  be  your  object 
to  please  God  or  discipline  your  own  spirit, 
you  will  better  effect  that  object  by  this 
exercise  of  self-denial,  than  by  doing  what 
would  give  uneasiness  to  others,  and  perhaps 
even  alienate  them  from  you,  and  render  them 
hostile  to  religion  itself  The  advice  of  the 
Apostle  to  wives  is  in  force  on  this  point,  and 
is  equally  applicable  to  the  other  social 
relations :  *  Ye  wives,  be  in  subjection  to  your 
own  husbands  ;  that  if  any  obey  not  the  word, 
they  may,  without  the  word,  be  won  by  the 
conversation  of  the  wives ;  while  they  behold 
your  chaste  conversation  coupled  with  fear.* 

Be  warned,  therefore,  against  this  error. 
And  what  are  you  to  lose  by  the  course  which 
I  recommend?  Believe  me,  however  much 
may  be  gained  by  the  sympathy  and  excite- 
ment of  a  public  assembly,  quite  as  much  is 
gained  by  the  sacrifice  of  your  inclinations 
to  duty  and  to  the  feelings  of  others,  and  by 
the  silent^  unmtnessed  exercises  of  retitemeiit,^ 
which  no  one  can  forbid  you.  Look  not  at 
the  present  moment,  but  at  the  end.  Your 
desire  is  to  form  a  genuine,  solid,  thorough, 


46        THE  STATE  OF  MIND,  &C. 

permanent  character  of  devotion.  Well ;  try 
to  form  it  wholly  in  the  excitement,  and  be- 
neath the  external  influence,  of  public  meet- 
ings, and  it  will  be  such  a  character  as  can 
exist  only  in  such  scenes.  Your  piety  will 
always  need  the  presence  and  voice  of  men 
to  keep  it  alive,  and,  unsustained  by  them, 
will  sink  away  and  die.  This,  at  least,  is  the 
danger  to  be  apprehended ;  and  experience 
declares  that  it  is  no  slight  one.  But  form 
your  character  in  private,  build  it  up  by  the 
action  of  your  own  mind,  under  the  direction 
of  the  Bible,  and  by  intercourse  with  the 
Father  of  spirits,-^and  then  it  will  always  be 
independent  of  other  men  and  of  outward 
circumstances.  It  will  be  self-sustained  on  a 
foundation  which  man  and  earth  cannot  shake, 
alike  powerful  in  the  solitude  and  in  the  crowd, 
and  immovable  in  steadfastness,  though  all 
other  men  prove  false,  and  faith  have  fled  all 
other  bosoms.  It  is  such  a  piety  that  belongs 
to  the  Christian ;  it  is  such  that  you  are  to 
seek ;  and  you  may  well  be  apprehensive  of 
failure,  if  you  neglect  this  salutary  caution. 


MEANS    OF    RELIGIOUS    IMPROVEMENT.       47 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE    MEANS    OF    RELIGIOUS    IMPROVEMENT. 

The  means  to  be  used  in  order  to  render 
permanent  your  religious  impressions,  and 
promote  the  growth  of  your  character,  are  now 
to  be  considered.  They  may  be  arranged  un- 
der the  following  heads  : — Reading,  Medita- 
tion, Prayer,  Hearing  the  word  preached,  and 
the  Lord's  Supper. 

I.  Reading. 

I  begin  with  the  more  private  means  ;  and  I 
speak  of  reading  first,  because  it  is  in  the  peru- 
sal of  the  Scriptures  that  the  beginning  of 
religious  knowledge  is  to  be  found.  It  is  they 
which  testify  of  Christ,  and  have  the  words  of 
eternal  life.  It  is  they  which  make  wise  unto 
salvation.  And  it  is  through  a  devout  ac- 
quaintance with  them,  that  the  mind  and 
heart  grow  in  the  knowledge  and  love  of  God, 
and  that  the  dispositions  are  formed  which 
prepare  for  heaven.     Every  one  may  read  the 


48       MEANS    OF    RELIGIOUS    IMPROVEMENT. 

Bible,  and,  such  is  its  plainness  and  simplicity 
in  all  matters  pertaining  to  life  and  godliness, 
that  if  he  be  able  to  read  nothing  else,  he  may 
yet  learn  all  that  is  essential  to  duty  and  ac- 
ceptance. Hence  it  has  happened,  that  i^any, 
to  whom  circumstances  have  interdicted  idl 
general  acquaintance  with  books,  have  gather- 
ed, from  their  solitary  study  of  the  Bible  alone, 
a  wisdom  which  has  expanded  and  elevated 
their  minds,  and  a  peace  which  has  raised 
them  above  the  darkness  and  trials  of  an  un- 
happy worldly  lot. 

There  are  those  whose  condition  in  life  is 
such,  that  they  have  very  little  time  or  means 
to  devote  to  books,  and  it  were  vain  to  recom- 
mend to  them  that  they  should  seek  instruc- 
tion beyond  the  sacred  pages,  and  the  simplest 
elementary  works  of  devotion.  While,  there- 
fore, it  is  the  undoubted  duty  of  every  one  to 
make  the  utmost  possible  progress  in  religious 
knowledge,  no  one  is  to  be  condemned  for  that 
omission  of  study  and  ignorance  of  books 
which  are  rendered  unavoidable  by  circum- 
stances. We  must  make  a  distinction,  it  has 
been  truly  said,  between  that  which  is  the 
duty  of  all,  and  may  be  done  by  all,  that  is,  a 


READING.  49 

careful  and  devout  perusal  of  the  Scriptures, 
and  that  which  is  the  duty,  because  within  the 
abiJity,  only  of  a  more  limited  number,— the 
study  of  other  sources  of  knowledge  and  vir- 
tue. These  every  one  must  pursue  in  propor- 
tion to  his  leisure  and  means. 

The  class  of  those  who  have  the  leisure  and 
means  is  large  and  numerous;  it  is  to  be 
wished  that  they  were  more  alive  to  their  obli- 
gation tp  improve  themselves  accordingly.  I 
know  not  how  it  happens,  that  serious  and 
devout  persons  are  so  content  to  be  ignorant 
on  those  great  topics  which  they  truly  feel  to 
transcend  all  others  in  importance.  It  certain- 
ly deserves  their  consideration,  whether  this 
indifference  be  either  creditable  or  right. 
Capacity  and  opportunity  form  the  measure 
of  duty ;  and  if  they  have  received  the  power 
and  means  of  cultivating  their  minds  and  add- 
ing to  their  treasures  of  truth  and  thought, 
they  should  regard  it  as  an  intimation  that  this 
is  required  of  them.  They  should  not  esteem 
it  enough  to  be  sincere  and  conscientious ; 
i\}ey  should  desire  to  be  well-informed  ;  well- 
informed  respecting  the  interpretation  of  the 
more  difficult  and  curious  portions  of  holy  writ. 
5 


50      MEANS    OF    RELIGIOUS    IMPROVEMENT. 

respecting  the  history  and  transmission  of  the 
records  of  their  faith,  the  fortunes  of  the 
church  in  successive  ages,  the  effects  of  their 
religion  and  of  other  religions  on  the  world, 
the  past  and  present  state  of  religious ,  opin- 
ions, the  past  and  present  operations  of 
Christian  benevolence,  the  means  of  doing 
good,  and  the  lives,  labors,  and  speculations  of 
the  eminent  professors  of  their  faith.  Now,  all 
^this  is  to  be  known  only  through  books;  and 
in  order  to  attain  it,  a  judicious  selection  of 
books,  and  an  appropriation  of  certain  seasons 
for  reading,  are  primarily  requisite.  The  bare 
importance  and  interest  of  these  subjects  ought 
to  be  a  sufficient  inducement  to  the  adoption 
of  this  course. 

There  are  many  other  considerations  which 
render  it  worthy  of  attention.  The  preaching 
of  divine  truth  becomes  far  more  profitable  to 
those  who  have  prepared  themselves  for  it  by 
the  information  thus  acquired.  Words  are 
used  in  the  pulpit,  modes  of  speech  occur,  al- 
lusions are  made,  and  facts  and  reasonings  re- 
ferred to,  which  presuppose  an  acquaintance 
with  certain  subjects,  and  which  are  entirely 
lost  to  those  who   never  read.     The  better  a 


READING.  51 

hearer  is  furnished  with  preliminary  knowl- 
edge, the  greater  pleasure  will  he  derive  from 
the  pulpit ;  because  the  better  will  he  under- 
stand and  appreciate  the  sentiments  expressed. 
At  present,  such  is  the  uninformed  character 
of  a  large  portion  of  ordinary  congregations, 
that  a  minister  is  compelled  to  pass  by  many 
modes  of  illustration,  and  many  representa- 
tions of  truth  and  duty,  because  they  would 
be  to  a  great  majority  unintelligible,  and  there- 
fore unprofitable.  Instead  of  going  on  to  per- 
fection in  the  proclamation  of  higher  and 
wider  views,  he  is  compelled,  as  the  Apostle 
complained  in  a  similar  case,  to  confine  him- 
self *  to  the  first  principles  of  the  oracles  of 
God.'  Some  teachers,  unwilling  or  unable 
thus  to  adapt  themselves  to  the  actual  stature 
of  their  hearers'  minds,  pursue  their  own 
modes  of  thought  and  expression,  without  re- 
gard to  their  audience ;  and,  while  they 
gratify  a  few  reading  and  thinking  men,  leave 
the  mass  of  the  people  uninstructed  and  unaf- 
fected. Herein  is  a  sad  error.  But  if  the 
preacher  must  adapt  himself  to  the  hearers,  the 
hearers  ought  to  prepare  themselves  for  the 
preaching.     This   is   to   be   done   by    greater 


52      MEANS    OF    RELIGIOUS    IMPROVEMENT. 

familiarity  with  religious  books.  They  would 
then  be  ready  for  higher  and  more  extensive 
themes,  and  for  a  wider  scope  of  illustration, 
while  the  preacher  would  cease  to  feel  him- 
self fettered.  At  present,  warmed  and  filled, 
as  his  mind  must  often  be,  by  large  contempla- 
tion and  exalted  study,  he  sometimes  uncon- 
sciously speaks  that  which  is  an  unknown 
tongue  to  the  unlettered  man,  though  delight- 
ful and  wholesome  to  him  whose  habits  of 
reading  have  prepared  him  to  receive  it. 

Further  still.  It  might  do  for  mere  men  of 
the  world,  who  professedly  seek  only  worldly 
good,  and  hold  of  little  worth  the  goods  of  the 
mind, — it  might, do  for  them  to  neglect  books 
and  thinking,  and  spend  all  their  precious 
leisure  in  idle  recreation*.  They  are  living 
for  the  body.  But  it  is  the  distinction  of  the 
Christian,  that  he  lives  for  the  soul,  for  his  in- 
tellectual and  moral  nature,  for  that  part  of 
him  which  is  noblest  now,  and  v^hich  alone 
shall  live  for  ever.  He  has  passed  out  of 
the  animal,  into  the  spiritual,  life.  It  is  not  for 
him  to  omit  or  neglect  any  suitable  means  of 
intellectual  or  moral  cultivation.  He  is  guilty 
of  criminal  inconsistency,  he  is  a  traitor  to  his 


READING.  53 

own  mind,  if  he  refuse  to  nourish  it,  syste- 
matically, with  knowledge  and  truth.  To 
keep  it  inactive  and  ignorant,  is  to  keep  it  de- 
graded. Jesus  lived  and  died  for  it,  that  it 
might  attain  the  truth,  and  that  the  truth 
might  make  it  free.  But  what  is  the  freedom 
of  the  mind  bound  in  the  fetters  of  ignorance  1 
Freedom  and  elevation  can  come  to  it  only 
through  knowledge,  and  one  chief  fountain  of 
knowledge  is  books.  These  inform  and  excite 
it,  and  furnish  food  for  thought.  Thought  is 
exercise ;  it  is  to  the  mind  what  motion  is  to 
the  body.  Without  it,  there  is  neither  health 
nor  strength.  And  when  God  has  graciously 
ordefed~tTiat  your  lot  should  be  cast  amid  the 
abundance  of  books,  where  you  need  only  put 
forth  your  hand  and  be  supplied ;  when  he 
thus  makes  easy  to  you  that  intellectual  and 
moral  attainment  which  is  the  souPs  dignity 
and  happiness ;  I  see  not  how  you  can  answer 
it  to  your  conscience,  if  you  do  not  sacredly 
devote  to  this  object  a  certain  portion  of  your 
leisure. 

In  regard  to  the  quantity  of  time  to  be  thus 
employed,    no    uniform    rule   can   be   given. 
Men  vary  so  much  in  occupation,  opportunity, 
5* 


54      MEANS    OF    RELIGIOUS    IMPROVEMENT. 

and  leisure,  that,  while  one  may  easily  com- 
mand hours,  another  can  with  difficulty  secure 
minutes.  On  this  point  every  one  must  be 
left  to  the  decision  of  his  own  conscience 
Inquire  of  that,  impartially  and  seriously,  and 
then  determine  how  large  a  portion  of  time 
you  can  daily  give  to  this  great  object.  I  be- 
lieve it  may  be  laid  down  as  certain,  that  most 
persons  may  afford  to  it  a  great  deal  more  than 
they  imagine.  Some  make  no  effort  to  do  any 
thing,  because  they  can  effect  so  little  that 
they  account  it  not  worth  the  effort.  But  they 
should  remember,  that  duty  does  not  consist  in 
doing  great  things,  but  in  doing  what  we  can ; 
and  that,  if  they  would  redeem  from  the  hurry 
of  business  and  the  relaxation  of  sleep  one 
quarter  of  an  hour  a  day,  it  would  be  a  more 
praiseworthy  offering  than  the  many  hours 
which  are  given  by  others.  Even  five  minutes 
a  day  would  be  worth  something,  would  be  in- 
valuable to  one  who  was  earnestly  bent  on 
using  it.  It  would  amount  in  a  year  to  about 
thirty  hours ;  and  who  will  say  that  it  is  not 
better  to  improve  the  mind  for  thirty  hours 
than  not  at  all?  But  I  am  persuaded  that 
there  is  scarcely  any  one,  however  engrossed 


READING.  55 

in  necessary  cares,  who  may  not  find  much 
more  time  than  this — who  may  not  find  an 
hour  a  day.  By  greater  care  of  the  minutes 
which  he  wastes,  by  abridging  a  little  firom  his 
meals,  a  little  fi*om  his  pleasares,  and  a  little 
from  his  sleep,  it  would  be  easily  accomplish- 
ed. If  one  be  in  earnest,  as  he  should  be,  if 
he  seek  for  wisdom  as  for  gold,  and  for  under- 
standing as  for  hid  treasure,  it  will  be  no  impos- 
sible thing  to  find  the  requisite  time.  Few  men 
but  could  readily  gain  an  hour  a  day,  if  they 
were  to  gain  by  it  a  dollar  a  day.  Indeed,  it  is 
often  seen,  in  actual  life,  that  a  person,  to  whom 
religion  has  become  an  object  of  deep  concern, 
contrives  to  devote  to  his  books  more  time 
than  this,  though  before  he  would  have 
thought  it  impossible.  Nothing  is  wanting 
but  the  *  willing  mind.'  If  one  feel  the 
necessity,  every  thing  else  will  give  way. 
Rather  than  remain  ignorant  and  without  prog- 
ress in  the  truth,  he  will  cheerfully  watch  an 
hour  later  at  night,  and  rise  an  hour  earlier  in 
the  morning.  The  gain  to  the  mind  will 
more  than  balance  the  inconvenience  to  the 
body. 

You  may  regard  it,  then,  as  some  proof  of 


56      MEANS    OF    RELIGIOUS    IMPROVEMENT. 

the  sincerity  and  earnestness  of  your  desire 
for  improvement,  if  you  find -yourself  able  to 
appropriate  a  certain  portion  of  time  to  prof- 
itable reading.  It  is  important  that  you  select 
for  this  purpose  those  hours  which  shall  be 
least  liable  to  interruption,  and  that  you  allow 
nothing  to  infringe  upon  them.  Keep  this  as 
holy  time.  Be  punctual  and  faithful  to  it,  as 
the  banker  to  his  hours  of  business. 

There  are  seasons  in  every  one's  vocation, 
at  which  his  business  is  less  pressing  than  at 
others ;  and  there  are  also  seasons  of  leisure, 
which  he  feels  at  liberty  to  take  for  recreation 
and  amusement.  As  you  will  have  lost  all 
taste  for  frivolous  amusement  and  unprofitable 
pleasures,  you  will  be  able  to  devote  all  such 
seasons  to  the  improvement  of  your  mind ; 
and,  instead  of  the  theatre  and  the  ball-room, 
from  which  you  would  have  returned  fatigued 
in  body  and  distracted  in  mind,  and  to  some 
extent  unfitted  for  duty,  you  will  enjoy  the 
converse  of  the  great  minds  which  have  blessed 
the  world,  and,  after  filling  your  soul  with  their 
thoughts,  will  go  back  to  your  ordinary  duty 
with  a  spirit  refreshed  and  invigorated,  and  a 
body  unwearied.     During  the  season  of  long 


READING.  57 

evenings,  especially,  when  so  many  are  hurry- 
ing from  diversion  to  diversion,  as  if  this  long 
leisure  were  provided  them  only  that  they  may 
contrive  how  ingeniously  they  can  throw  it 
a^way,— you  will  perceive  that  you  have  a  most 
favorable  opportunity  for  pursuing  extensive  re- 
searches, and  making  large  acquisitions  of 
knowledge.  Evening  after  evening,  in  your 
own  quiet  retirement,  you  will  sit  down  to  this 
instructive  application.  By  this  diligence  what 
progress  may  you  make !  what  volumes  may 
you  master  1  to  what  extent  may  you  penetrate 
the  secrets  of  science,  acquire  a  knowledge 
of  history  and  of  letters,  and  become  enriched 
with  those  great  and  various  treasures  of  in- 
tellect, which  are  subservient  to  the  growth  of 
the  mind  and  the  glory  of  God  1 '  You  will 
thus  be  using  time  for  the  purpose  for  which 
it  was  given, — the  ripening  and  perfecting  of 
your  immortal  mind ;  and,  at  all  intervals  of 
release  from  duty  to  others,  will  make  it  your 
happiness  to  be  thus  performing  a  great  duty 
to  yourself 

In  your  selection  of  books,  the  Bible  will, 
of  course,  hold  the  first  place.  This  is  to  be 
read  daily,  and  to  be  your  favorite  book.     Re- 

F 


58       MEANS    OF    RELIGIOUS    IMPROVEMENT. 

member,  however,  that  it  may  be  perused  in 
such  a  manner,  that  it  were  better  never  to  have 
opened  it.  If  studied  inattentively,  for  form's 
sake,  or  only  for  the  purpose  of  gathering 
arguments  to  support  your  opinions,  it  is  read 
irreligiously,  and  therefore  unprofitably.  You 
must  habitually  regard  it  as  uttering  instruc- 
tions with  a  voice  of  authority,  of  which  you 
are  earnestly  to  seek  the  true  meaning,  and 
then  submissively  to  obey  them.  You  must 
never  forget  that  your  hopes  of  right  instruc- 
tion are  suspended  on  the  simplicity  and  fidel- 
ity with  which  you  receive  those  holy  words ; 
and  as  they  were  written  expressly  to  make 
you  wise  unto  salvation,  no  inferior  purpose 
must  distract  your  attention  from  this. 

You  will  therefore  always  have  in  view  two 
objects — to  understand  the  book,  and  to  apply 
it  to  your  own  heart  and  character. 

The  study  of  the  Bible,  for  the  purpose  of 
understanding  it,  is  an  arduous  labor.  Dr. 
Johnson  said  of  the  New  Testament,  "  It  is 
the  most  difficult  book  in  the  world,  for  which 
the  labor  of  a  life  is  required."  No  book  re- 
quires greater  and  more  various  aid.  Its 
thorough  interpretation  is  a  science  by  its'^lf 


READING.  59 

and  you  must  ask  of  those,  in  whose  judgment 
you  confide,  to  pomt  out  the  requisite  helps  for 
this  interesting  investigation ;  to  enable  you  to 
reach  the  pure  text,  and  arrive  at  the  meaning 
of  every  passage  as  it  lay  in  the  mind  of  the 
virriter.  Recollect  that  a  passage  standing  by 
itself  may  bear  a  very  good  meaning,  which  yet 
was  not  the  meaning  designed ;  and  make  it  a 
sacred  rule,  not  to  receive  or  quote  it  in  any 
other  sense  than  that  which  belongs  to  it  in  its 
original  place.  The  neglect  of  this  rule  has 
occasioned  much  misinterpretation  and  misap- 
plication of  scripture ;  and  some  passages 
have  come  to  be  familiarly  understood  and 
cited  in  senses  altogether  foreign  from  their 
proper  import.  This  is  a  perversion ;  and  it  is 
an  immense  evil  to  have  wrong  ideas  thus 
fastened  upon  the  language  of  the  sacred 
writers. 

And  be  not  afraid  of  examining  the  text 
scrupulously,  and  employing  the  utmost  ener- 
gy of  your  mind  in  discovering  and^  determin- 
ing its  true  sense.  It  is  a  duty  to  do  this. 
You  can  decide  between  opposing  and  possi- 
ble interpretations  only  by  applying  your  own 
mind  to  judge  between  them ;  and  the  more 


60      MEANS    OF    RELIGIOUS    IMPROVEMENT. 

keenly,  impartially,  and  fearlessly  you  proceed^ 
the  greater  the  probability  that  your  decision 
will  be  correct.  On  this  point  some  persons 
greatly  err.  They  seize  on  the  first  meaning 
which  presents  itself  to  their  minds,  or  has 
been  presented  by  another,  and  resolutely 
abide  by  it ;  they  refuse  to  investigate  further, 
lest  they  should  be  guilty  of  irreverently  trying 
the  divine  word  by  their  own  fallible  reason. 
Indulge  no  such  weakness  as  this.  Never,  in- 
deed, be  guilty  for  a  moment  of  the  insane  folly  - 
and  sin  of  disputing  the  authority  of  revela- 
tion, or  setting  up  your  reason  as  a  superior 
light  and  safer  guide.  But  in  deciding  upon 
the  meaning  of  scripture,  you  cannot  use  your 
intellectual  powers  too  much  or  too  acutely. 
Use  them  constantly,  coolly,  impartially,  with 
the  best  aid  you  can  obtain  from  human 
authors,  and  then  you  may  rest  satisfied  that 
you  have  done  your  duty, — ^have  done  all 
which  you  could  do  toward  learning  the  truth ; 
and  if  you  have  accompanied  it  with  prayer 
for  a  blessing  from  the  Source  of  truth  and 
wisdom,  you  cannot  have  failed,  in  any 
essential  point,  to  ascertain  the  will  of 
God. 


READING.  61 

But,_there  is  another  object, — ^the  applica- 
tion of  scripture  to  the  forming'  of  the  heart 
and  character.  This  is  a  higher  object  than 
the  other,  and  may  be  effected  in  cases  where 
very  little  of  rigid  scrutiny  can  be  made  into 
the  dark  places  of  the  divine  word.  Blessed 
be  God,  it  is  not  necessary,  in  order  to  salva- 
tion, that  one  should  comprehend  all  the 
things  hard  to  be  understood,  or  be  able  to  fol- 
low out  the  train  of  reasoning  in  every  Epistle, 
and  restore  the  text  in  every  corruption.  Do 
all  this  as  much  as  you  can.  But  when  you 
read,  as  it  were  for  your  life ;  when  you  take 
the  Bible  to  your  closet,  to  be  the  help  and 
the  solitary  witness  of  your  prayers;  when 
you  take  it  up  as  a  lamp  which  you  are  to 
hold  to  your  heart,  for  the  purpose  of  search- 
ing into  its  true  state,  that  you  may  purify 
and  perfect  it ; — then  put  from  your  mind  all 
thoughts  of  differing  interpretations  and  vari- 
ous readings,  and  the  perplexities  of  criticism 
and  translation.  You  have  only  to  do  with 
^yhat  is  spiritual  and  practical.  You  are  no 
more  a  scholar,  seeking  for  intellectual 
guidance,  but  a  sinful  and  accountable  crea- 
ture, asking  for  help  in  duty,  and  deliverance 
6 


62      MEANS    OF    RELIGIOUS    IMPROVEMENT. 

from  an  evil  world  and  an  evil  heart.  Read, 
therefore,  as  if  on  your  knees.  M^ke  your 
heart  feel  and  respond  to  every  sentiment. 
Apply  to  yourself  with  rigor  every  precept 
and  warning  ;  and  according  to  the  character 
of  the  passage,  let  your  mind  glow  with  fervor, 
and  be  uplifted  in  holy  adoration  and  devout 
gratitude,  or  be  thrilled  and  humbled  by  the 
representations  of  infinite  purity  and  justice, 
or  melted  and  borne  away  by  the  tones  of 
tender  love  and  long-suffering  grace.  Suffer 
yourself  to  read  nothing  coldly,  when  you 
read  for  spiritual  improvement.  You  might 
as  lawfully  pray  coldly.  Therefore  let  your 
reading  be  like  your  prayers, — done  with  all 
your  heart.  And  be  sensible  that  it  is  better 
to  go  over  one  short  passage  many  times,  till 
you  fully  grasp  its  sentiment,  and  grow  warm 
with  it,  than  to  run  over  hastily  and  unfeel- 
ingly many  chapters. 

You  are  not  to  suppose,  from  what  has  been 
said,  that  you  are  altogether  to  separate  these 
two  modes  of  reading  the  Scriptures.  On  the 
contrary,  it  will  greatly  aid  you  in  unravelling 
their  true  meaning,  to  carry  to  their  interpre- 
tation a  devout  mind,  wakeful  to  the  impres- 


READING.  63 

sion  of  their  moral  beauty,  and  in  sympathy 
with  their  divine  origin ;  since  nothing  is  truer 
than  this, — that  a  study  is  rendered  easy  by 
the  interest  of  the  affections  in  it,  and  that 
difficulties  disappear  before  the  excitement  of 
feeling.  And,  on  the  other  hand,  when  you 
are  reading  expressly  for  improvement  and  de- 
votion, you  will  recur,  without  effort,  and  con- 
sequently without  interruption,  to  the  results 
of  your  cooler  inquiry,  and  spontaneously 
make  use  of  the  interpretations  which  your 
critical  scrutiny  has  proved  to  be  just. 

The  cautions  thus  briefly  sketched  are  im- 
portant for  two  reasons ;  one,  that  there  is  a 
tendency  in  him  who  has  become  interested  in 
the  critical  examination -of  the  sacred  writings, 
to  continue  to  read  them  critically  and  with  a 
principal  regard  to  their  elucidation,  when  he 
ought  to  be  imbibing  their  spirit;  and  the  other, 
that  the  perception  of  this  tendency  has  been 
an  apology  to  many  for  not  engaging  in  such 
inquiries  at  all.  They  esteem  it  better  to  go  on 
with  their  crude,  unconnected,  and  undigested 
knowledge,  which  in  many  cases  is  only  igno- 
rance (for  where  they  have  not  inquired,  it  is 
impossible  they  should  know),  than  to  check  the 


64      MEANS    OF    RELIGIOUS    IMPROVEMENT.    * 

fervor  of  their  religious  feelings,  as  they  fancy 
must  inevitably  be  done,  by  accurate  study. 
But  this  is  a  mekncholy  error.  It  reminds 
one  of  the  old  pretence  that  ignorance  is  the 
mother  of  devotion.  How  can  it  be  rationally 
supposed,  that  a  careful  inquiry  concerning  the 
history,  the  text,  and  the  signification  of  the 
Bible,  should  necessarily  alienate  the  mind 
from  the  true  spirit  of  the  Bible !  I  say 
necessarily,  because  the  tendency  alluded  to 
undoubtedly  exists;  and,  however  it  may  be 
accounted  for,  it  evidently  needs  to  be  cau- 
tiously guarded  against.  This  may  be  done. 
Do  it,  then,  as  you  value  the  warmth  and  fervor 
of  your  soul.  Do  it,  always  and  persever- 
fingly,  by  daily  reading  in  that  frame  of!  spirit* 
ual_self-application  which  I  have  recommend- 
ed. Thus  you  will  avoid  the  danger ;  and 
while  you  arrive  at  enlarged  views  of  the  na- 
ture, contents,  history  and  purposes  of  these 
sacred  records,  you  will  retain  and  increase 
the  susceptibility  of  your  heart  to  all  their 
representations  of  duty  and  heaven. 

In  regard  to  the  choice  of  other  books,  it 
would  take  up  too  much  room  to  enter  into  all 
the    many    considerations    which    might    be 


READING.  65 

Started.  Let  it  be  sufficient  to  say  in  general, 
that,  if  you  would  form  a  religious  character, 
you  are  always  to  have  in  view  the  two  objects 
already  named, — religious  knowledge  and 
moral  improvement.  Your  books,  therefore, 
will  belong  to  one  or  the  other  of  these  two 
departments;  and  it  would  be  well  to  have 
one  of  each  kind  always  lying  by  you  in  the 
course  of  being  read.  That  is,  be  at  all  times 
engaged  with  two  books ;  one  of  a  moral  and 
devotional  character,  to  keep  your  frame  of 
mind  right,  and  your  feelings  in  harmony  with 
eternal  truth;  the  other,  of  an  instructive 
character,  to  enlarge  your  knowledge,  and  ex- 
tend your  ideas  concerning  God,  and  man, 
and  truth.  Then  you  will  never  be  at  a  loss 
for  occupation.  You  will  not  fritter  away 
precious  hours  in  *  wondering  what  you  had 
better  do.' 

To  the  better  accomplishment  of  this  pur- 
pose, it  will  be  well  to  obtain  of  your  minister, 
or  some  competent  friend,  a  list  of  selected 
books,  in  the  order  in  which  they  should  be 
read.  I  earnestly  recommend  this.  Many 
persons  read  at  random,  without  selection, 
whatever  they  may  accidentally  meet  with. 
6*  G 


66      MEANS    OF    RELIGIOUS    IMPROVEMENT. 

They  make  no  inquiry  whether  a  book  be 
good  or  bad,  worth  perusal  or  not ;  but,  be- 
cause it  lies  m  their  way,  or  has  been  read  by 
some  friend,  they  read  it.  How  many  misera- 
ble volumes  of  trash  are  thus  devoured !  and 
that,  too,  by  persons  who  would  be  alarmed  at 
the  suspicion  that  they  are  prodigally  throwing 
away  their  time.  But  they  do  not  pursue  the 
same  random  course  in  other  matters.  They 
do  not  choose  their  food  or  clothing  of  the 
first  thing  which  accidentally  presents  itself 
They  take  pains,  they  spend  time,  they  in- 
quire, compare,  judge  and  select  only  what 
they  deliberately  perceive  to  be  best.  And 
when  we  treat  the  body  thus,  shall  we  have 
no  care  for  the  mind  ?  Shall  we  leave  it  to  be 
fed  by  any  food  which  chance  may  bring 
it,  and  thus  expose  it  to  the  risk  of  pernicious 
nourishment,  to  the  hazard  of  being  made 
feeble,  sickly,  and  corrupt?  I  adjure  you,  fall 
not  into  this  too  common  thoughtlessness. 
Do  not  take  it  for  granted,  that,  because  it  is 
a  printed  book,  therefore  it  must  be  worth 
reading.  Get  advice  upon  the  subject,  and 
read  systematically;  reflecting,  that  your  ob- 
ject is  not  amusement,  but  improvement, — im- 


READING.  67 

provement  of  your  religious  nature ;  and  that 
you  have  no  more  right  to  run  the  hazard  of 
poisoning  it  through  a  negligent  selection  of 
its  nutriment,  than  to  destroy  your  body  by 
similar  means.  The  religious  culture  of  your 
mind  is  a  most  responsible  charge ;  it  is  to  be 
effected,  in  no  small  degree,  by  the  exercise 
and  guidance  it  shall  receive  from  books ;  and 
how  will  you  lift  up  your  head,  when  the 
Judge  shall  inquire  concerning  your  manner 
of  preparing  it  for  his  kingdom,  if  you  have 
provided  for  its  immortal  appetite  nothing  but 
unarranged  and  unselected  trash,  when  stores 
of  the  choicest  kind  were  profusely  spread 
before  you  ? 

It  does  not  fall  within  my  plan  to  pursue 
this  subject  further,  or  to  treat  the  many  ques- 
tions which  may  arise  on  the  choice  of  books, 
and  habits  of  reading,  in  general.  It  may  be 
said  in  few  words,  that  no  work  of  truth  and 
science,  or  of  elegance  and  taste,  which  does 
not  tend  to  corrupt  the  morals  or  create  a  dis- 
relish for  serious  thought,  need  be  prohibited 
to  a  religious  man.  Withm  the  limits  of  this 
restriction  he  may  freely  range.  Let  him  only 
remember,  that  even  the  employment  of  read- 


68      MEANS    OF   RELIGIOUS    IMPROVEMENT. 

ing  may  become  mere  idleness  and  wasteful- 
ness ;  and  that  a  man  may  decide  respecting 
his  actual  principles  and  character  by  the 
character  of  the  books  to  which  he  is  most 
attached.  He  must  therefore  watch  and 
guard  his  taste.  Then  he  may  find  it  in  his 
power  to  cause  every  hour  thus  spent  to 
minister  to  the  growth  of  his  best  attain 
ments. 

II.  Meditation. 

This  is  a  great  and  essential  means  of  im- 
provement. It  is  essential  to  self-examination 
and  self-knowledge,  without  which  the  hope 
of  progress  and  of  virtue  is  vain.  No  one 
can  know  his  own  character,  or  be  aware  of 
the  dispositions,  feelings  and  motives  by 
which  he  is  actuated,  except  by  means  of  deep 
and  searching  reflection.  In  the  crowd  of 
business  and  the  hurry  of  the  world,  we  are 
apt  to  rush  on  without  weighing,  as  we  should, 
the  considerations  which  urge  us;  we  are 
liable  to  neglect  that  close  inspection  of  our- 
selves, and  that  careful  reference  of  our  con* 
duct  to  the  unerring  standard  of  right,  which 
are  requisite  both  to  our  knowing  where  we 


MEDITATION.  by 

are,  and  to  our  keeping  in  the  right  way.  It 
is  necessary  that  we  sometimes  pause  and  look 
around  us,  and  consider  our  ways;  that  we 
take  observation  of  the  course  we  are  running, 
and  the  various  influences  to  which  we  are 
subjected,  and  be  sure  that  we  are  not  driven 
or  drifted  from  the  direction  in  which  we 
ought  to  be  proceeding.  Without  this  there 
is  no  safety. 

Meditation,  too,  is  necessary  in  order  to  the 
digesting  of  religious  truth,  making  familiar 
what  we  have  learned,  and  incorporating  it 
with  our  own  minds.  We  cannot  even  retain 
it  in  our  memories,  much  less  can  we  be  fully 
sensible  of  its  power  and  worth,  except 
through  the  habit  of  reflecting  upon  it.  We 
cannot  have  it  ready  at  command,  so  as  to  de- 
fend it  when  assailed,  or  state  it  when  in- 
quired after,  or  apply  it  in  the  emergencies  of 
life,  unless  it  be  familiar  to  us  by  habitual 
meditation;  so  that  even  reading  loses  its 
value  if  unaccompanied  by  reflection.  The 
obligations  and  motives  of  duty,  the  promises, 
hopes  and  prospects  of  the  Christian,  the 
great  interests  and  permanent  realities  by 
which  he  is  to  be  actuated,  are  not  visibly  and 


70      MEANS    OP    RELIGIOUS    IMPROVEMENT. 

tangibly  present  to  him,  like  the  scenes  of  liis 
passing  life ;  and  they  must  be  made  spiritual- 
ly present  by  deliberate  meditation,  if  he 
would  be  guided  and  swayed  by  them.  In- 
deed, without  this,  he  must  be  without  consid- 
eration or  devotion,  ignorant  of  the  actual  state 
of  his  character,  and  in  constant  danger  of 
falling  a  sacrifice  to  the  unfriendly  influences 
of  the  world. 

In  attempting,  therefore,  the  acquisition 
of  a  religious  character,  it  is  important  that 
you  maintain  an  habitual  thoughtfulness  of 
mind.  It  has  been  said,  and  with  perfect 
truth,  that  no  man  pursues  any  great  interest 
of  any  kind^  in  which  important  consequences 
are  at  stake,  without  a  profound  and  settled 
seriousness  of  mind ;  and  that  a  man  of  really 
frivolous  disposition  never  accomplishes  any 
thing  valuable.  How  especially  true  must 
this  be,  in  regard  to  the  great  interests  of 
religion  and  eternity !  How  can  you  hope  to 
make  progress  in  that  perplexing  and  diflicult 
work,  the  establishment  of  a  religious  charac- 
ter, the  attainment  of  the  great  Christian 
accomplishments,  without  a  fixed  and  habitual 
thoughtfulness? — a  thoughtfulness  which  never 


MEDITATION.  71 

forgets  the  rastness  and  responsibility  of 
the  work  assigned  to  man,  nor  loses  the 
consciousness  of  a  relation  to  more  glorious 
beings  than  are  found  upon  the  earth.  This 
must  be  your  habit ; — something  more  than  an 
occasional  musing  and  reverie,  at  set  times, 
when  you  shall  force  yourself  to  the  task.  It 
must  be  the  uniform  condition  of  your  mind ; 
as  much  so  as  solicitude  to  the  merchant, 
who  has  great  treasures  exposed  to  the 
uncertainties  of  the  ocean  and  the  foe ; — a 
solicitude,  in  your  case  not  gloomy,  or  unsocial, 
or  morose,  but  thoughtful ;  so  that  nothing 
shall  be  done  inconsiderately,  or  without 
adverting  to  the  bearing  it  may  have  on  your 
character  and  final  prospects. 

Then,  besides  this  general  state  of  mind, 
there  must  be,  as  I  have  said,  allotted  periods 
of  express  meditation.  As  the  precept  re- 
specting devotion  is,  'Pray  without  ceasing,' 
and  yet  set  times  of  prayer  are  necessary  :  so 
also,  while  we  say,  *  Be  always  thoughtful,'  we 
must  add,  that  particular  seasons  are  necessary 
on  purpose  for  meditation.  You  must  set 
apart  certain  times  for  reflection,  when  you 
shall   deliberately  sit  down  and  survey  with 


72      MEANS    OP    RELIGIOUS    IMPROVEMENT. 

keen  scrutiny  yourself,  your  condition,  your 
past  life,  and  the  prospect  before  you  ;  inquire 
into  the  state  of  your  religious  knowledge  and 
personal  attainments ;  and  strengthen  your 
sense  of  responsibility  and  purposes  of  duty, 
by  dwelling  on  the  attributes  and  government 
of  God,  the  ways  of  his  providence,  the  rev- 
elations of  his  word,  the  requisitions  of  his 
will,  the  glory  of  his  kingdom,  and  all  the 
affecting  truths  and  promises  which  the  gos- 
pel displays.  These  are  to  be  subjects  of 
distinct  and  profound  consideration,  till  your 
mind  becomes  imbued  with  them,  and  until, 
filled  and  inspired  by  the  spiritual  contem- 
plation, you  are  in  a  manner  *  changed  into 
the  same  image  as  by  the  spirit  of  the  Lord.' 
The  proper  season  for  this  is  the  season  of 
your  daily  devotion  ;  when,  having  shut  out 
the  world,  and  sought  the  nearer  presence  of 
God,  your  mind  is  prepared  to  work  fervently. 
Tlien,  contemplation,  aided  by  prayer,  ascends 
to  heights  which  it  could  never  reach  alone  ; 
and  sometimes,  whether  in  the  body  or  out  of 
the  body  it  can  hardly  tell,  soars,  as  it  were 
to  the  third  heaven,  and  enjoys  a  revelation 
to  which,  at  other  hours,  it  is  a  stranger. 


MEDITATION.  73 

This,  however,  is  an  excitement  of  mind 
which  is  rarely  to  be  expected.  Those  sea- 
sons are  *  few  as  angel's  visits,''  which  lift  the 
spirit  to  any  thing  like  ecstasy.  They  are 
glimpses  of  heaven,  which  the  soul,  in  its  pres- 
ent tabernacle,  can  seldom  catch,  only  fre- 
quently enough  to  afford  a  brief  foretaste  of 
that  bliss  to  which  it  shall  hereafter  arrive. 
Its  ordinary  musings  are  less  ethereal ;  happy, 
undoubtedly,  though  oftentimes  clouded  by 
feelings  of  sadness  and  doubt,  and  by  a  sense 
of  unworthiness  and  sin.  But  however  mixed 
they  may  be,  they  are  always  salutary.  If  sad 
and  disheartening,  they  lead  to  more  vigilant 
self-examination,  that  we  may  discover  their 
cause,  and  thus  rekindle  the  watchlight  that  is 
so  essential  to  right  progress.  If  serene  and 
ioyous,  they  are  a  present  earnest  of  the  peace 
which  is  assured  to  the  righteous,  and  the  joy 
of  heart  which  is  one  of  the  genuine  fruits  of 
the  spirit.  Be  not,  therefore,  troubled  or  cast 
down  (indeed  never  be  cast  down,  so  long  as 
you  can  say  to  your  soul,  Trust  in  God) ;  be 
not,  I  say,  disquieted  or  cast  down,  because  of 
the  inequalities  of  feeling  with  which  you 
enter  and  leave  your  closet,  and  the  changes 


74       MEANS    OF    RELIGIOUS    IMPROVEMENT. 

from  brightness  to  gloom,  from  clearness  to 
obscurity,  which  often  pass  over  your  mind. 
This,  alas  !  is  the  inheritance  of  our  frail  na- 
ture. An  equal  vigor  of  thought,  clearness 
of  apprehension,  force  of  imagination,  fervor  of 
devotion,  always  perceiving,  feeling,  adoring, 
with  the  same  vividness  and  satisfaction, 
are  to  be  our  portion  in  the  world  of  spirits. 
Here  we  see  all  things,  *  as  in  a  glass, 
darkly' ;  there  we  shall  see  *  face  to  face.' 
Here  the  truths  we  rejoice  in  are  too  often 
like  the  images  of  absent  friends,  which  we 
strive  in  vain  to  bring  brightly  before  the  eye 
of  our  minds  ;  they  are  shadowy,  indistinct, 
and  fleeting.  But  there  they  will  be  like  our 
friends  themselves,  always  present  in  their 
own  full  form  and  beauty,  to  dwell  in  the 
mind  unfadingly,  and  constitute  its  bliss. 
Be  satisfied,  then,  if  you  sometimes  arrive,  in 
your  meditations,  at  that  glow  of  elevated 
enjoyment  which  you  desire.  What  you 
are  rather  to  seek  for,  is,  a  calm  and  com- 
posed state  of  the  affections,  an  equanimity 
of  spirit,  a  serenity  of  temper  ; — like  the 
quiet  which  an  affectionate  child  experiences 
in  the    circle   of    its   parents    and    brothers, 


MEDITATION.  75 

where  it  is  net  excited  to  ecstasy  by  the 
thought  of  its  father's  goodness,  but  lives 
beneath  it  in  a  state  of  equal  and  affection- 
ate trust.  Like  this  should  be  the  habitual 
experience  of  the  Christian ;  and  if  it  be 
thus  with  you,  let  not  occasional  dullness  or 
darkness,  coming  over  your  spirit  in  its  reli- 
gious hours,  dishearten  or  distress  you. 

This  I  say,  because  many  persons  of  tru- 
ly devout  habits  have  unquestionably  suf- 
fered much  from  this  cause.  In  the  natural 
fluctuations  of  the  animal  spirits,  or  the 
nervous  system,  or  the  bodily  health,  they 
sometimes  find  themselves  cold  at  heart, 
and  seemingly  insensible  to  religious  con- 
siderations. It  seems  to  them  that  their 
hearts  have  waxed  gross,  that  their  eyes  are 
closed,  and  their  ears  become  dull  of  hear- 
ing. In  vain  do  they  read  and  think ;  they 
cannot  arouse  themselves  to  any  thing  like 
a  *  realizing  sense '  of  these  great  objects  ; 
but  regard  with  a  stupid  unconcern  what  at 
other  times  has  been  the  source  of  their 
chief  enjoyment.  But  let  the  humble  and 
timid  believer  be  of  good  cheer.  This  is 
not    always  a  sign  of  guilt,    or  of  desertion 


76       MEANS    OF    RELIGIOUS    IMPROVEMENT. 

by  God.  It  may  be  traced  to  the  original 
and  unavoidable  imperf^tion  of  human  na- 
ture ;  it  is  to  be  lamented  as  such,  but  not 
to  be  repented  of  as  sin ;  and  one  may  not 
expect  to  be  relieved  from  it,  till  the  soul 
is  freed  from  the  body.  Let  him  watch  the 
course  of  his  mind,  and  he  will  find  the 
same  inequality  of  feeling  to  exist  upon 
other  subjects.  He  does  not  at  all  times 
take  an  equal  interest  in  his  ordinary  con- 
cerns, nor  does  he  at  all  times  feel  the  high- 
est warmth  of  affection  toward  his  parent, 
friend, 'or  child.  Let  him  observe  others,  and 
he  will  discover  the  same  variations  in  them. 
They  will  confess  it  to  be  so.  The  oldest 
and  most  established  Christians  will  de- 
scribe themselves  to  have  passed  their  whole 
pilgrimage  in  this  state  of  fluctuation.  Read 
the  private  journals  of  distinguished  believ- 
ers, and  you  find  in  them  frequent  com- 
plaints of  lukewarmness,  indifference,  and 
deadness  of  heart.  They  mourn  over  it,  they 
bewail  it,  they  strive  against  it,  and  yet  it 
adheres  to  them  as  long  as  they  live.  It  is 
not,  therefore,  your  peculiar  sin,  but  a  com- 
mon infirmity.     Regard  it  in  this  light ;   and 


MEDITATION.  77 

do  not  let  it  destroy  your  peace  of  mind,  or 
lead  you  to  overlook  the  rational  evidence 
that  your  heart  is  right  with  God. 

But  also,  on  the  other  hand, — for  the 
Christian's  path  is  hedged  in  with  dangers 
on  every  side,  and  in  trying  to  escape  from 
one  it  is  easy  to  rush  into  another, — take 
heed  that  you  do  not  unwarrantably  apply 
this  consolation  and  make  this  excuse  to 
yourself  in  cases  in  which  you  really  deserve 
blame.  Do  not  let  this  apology,  which  is 
designed  only  for  the  comfort  of  the  hum- 
ble and  watchful,  be  used  by  you  as  a  cover 
for  negligence  and  sinful  self-confidence. 
Remember  that  your  unsatisfactory  state  of 
religious  sensibility  may  be  possibly  your 
fault ;  and  y<^u  are  not  to  presume  that  it  is 
otherwise,  untd  you  have  faithfully  searched 
and  tried.  Have  you  not,  for  a  time,  been 
unreasonably  devoted  to  amusement,  or  en- 
grossed by  unnecessary  cares,  so  as  to  have 
neglected  the  watching  of  your  heart  ?  Have 
you  not  for  a  season  been  thoughtless,  light- 
minded,  frivolous,  and  careless  of  that  de- 
vout reference  to  God,  by  which  you  should 
always  be  actuated  ?  Have  you  not  engaged 
7* 


78       MEANS    OF    RELIGIOUS    IMPROVEMENT. 

in  some  questionable  undertaking,  or  allow- 
ed yourself  in  sloth  or  self-indulgence,  or 
cherished  ill  feelings  toward  others,  or  per- 
mitted your  temper  to  be  kept  irritated  by 
some  unimportant  vexations,  or  let  your  imagi- 
nation run  loose  among  forbidden  desires  ? 
Ask  yourself  such  questions  ;  and  perhaps 
in  the  nature  of  your  recent  occupations 
you  may  detect  the  cause  of  your  present 
listlessness.  If  so,  change  the  general  turn 
of  your  life.  In  the  words  of  Cowper's 
hymn,  it  is  only  *  A  closer  walk  with  God,' 
which  can  bring  back  '  the  blessedness  you 
once  enjoyed.'  Now,  your  heart  is  desolate 
and  unsatisfied  ;  you  find  in  it  *  an  aching 
void,  which  God  alone  can  fill ;'  and  it  is 
only  by  renewing  your  acquaintance  with 
him,    that   you   can    renew   your  peace. 

But,  after  all,  remember  that  you  are  to 
judge  of  the  real  worth  of  these  seasons,  not 
by  your  enjoyment  of  them  as  they  pass, 
not  by  the  luxury  or  rapture  of  your  contem- 
plation, but  by  their  effect  upon  your  char- 
acter and  principles,  by  the  religious  power 
you  gain  from  them  toward  meeting  the  du- 
ties   and   sufferings,   the  joys    and    sorrows, 


MEDITATION.  79 

the  temptations,  trials  and  conflicts  of  ac- 
tual life.  Meditation  is  a  means  of  reli- 
gion; not  to  be  rested  in  as  a  final  good, 
nor  allowed  to  satisfy  us,  except  so  far  as  it 
imparts  to  the  character  a  permanent  im- 
press of  seriousness  and  duty,  and  strength- 
ens the  principles  of  faith  and  self-govern- 
ment. If  it  add  daily  vigor  to  your  resolu- 
tions, and  secure  order  to  your  thoughts,  se- 
renity to  your  temper,  and  uprightness  to  your 
life,  then  it  has  fulfilled  us  legitimate  pur- 
pose. If,  on  the  other  hand,  it  end  in  the 
reverie  of  the  hour,  then,  however  fervent 
and  exalted,  it  is,  comparatively  speaking, 
worthless  to  yourself  and  unacceptable  to 
God.  Its  permanent  influence  on  the  char- 
acter is  the  true  test  of  its  value. 

It  is  easy  to  see,  therefore,  that  there  are 
three  purposes  which  you  have  in  view ;  the 
cultivation  of  a  religious  spirit,  the  scrutiny 
of  your  life  and  character,  the  renewing  of 
your  good  purposes. 

By  the  first  of  these,  you  are  to  insure  the 
predominance  of  a  spiritual  frame  of  mind, 
a  perpetual,  paramount  interest  in  divine 
truth,    and   its  incorporation  with  the  frame 


80      MEANS    OF    RELIGIOUS    IMPROVEMENT. 

and  constitution  of  your  soul ;  so  that  you 
shall  be  continually  enlarging  your  apprehen- 
sions concerning  God,  his  providence  and 
his  purposes,  and  shall  at  the  same  time  make 
them  part  of  the  very  substance  of  your  intel- 
lectual constitution,  the  pervading  and  actu- 
ating motives  of  all  your  life. 

By  this  means  religion  becomes  to  the 
Christian  what  the  spirit  of  his  profession  is  to 
the  soldier, — the  one  present  thought,  motive, 
and  impulse,  absorbing  all  others,  and  urging 
him  to  his  one  great  object  by  its  mastery  over 
all  other  thoughts,  principles,  and  affections. 
The  other  two  purposes  of  meditation  which 
I  mentioned,  may  be  described  as  the  survey- 
ing and  burnishing  of  the  warrior's  arms/ip 
preparation  for  the  summons  to  actual  combat ; 
or  as  the  act  of  the  mariner  in  mid  ocean,  who 
every  day  lifts  his  instruments  to  the  light  of 
heaven,  and  consults  his  charts  and  his  books, 
that  he  may  learn  where  he  is,  and  what  has 
been  his  progress,  and  whether  any  change 
must  be  made  in  his  course  in  order  to  his 
reaching  the  intended  haven.  The  warrior  who 
should  allow  his  arms  to  rust  for  want  of  a 
little  daily  care,  and  the  mariMer  who  should 


MEDITATION.  81 

be  shipwrecked  from  neglect  of  taking  sea- 
sonable observations,  are  emblems  of  the  folly 
of  the  man  who  presses  on  through  life,  with- 
out ever  pausing  to  scrutinize  the  principles 
on  which  he  acts,  and  rectify  the  errors  he  has 
committed. 

This  self-examination  must  be  universal; 
embracing  alike  the  conduct  of  your  ex- 
ternal life  and  the  habitual  tenor  of  your  mind. 
You  must  survey  the  train  of  your  thoughts, 
the  temper  you  have  sustained,  your  deport- 
ment toward  others,  your  conversation,  your 
employment,  the  use  of  your  time  and  of  your 
wealth;  you  must  consider  by  what  sort  of 
motives  you  are  prevailingly  guided,  what  is 
the  probable  effect  of  your  example,  and 
whether  you  are  doing  all  the  good  which 
might  be  reasonably  expected  of  you ;  you 
must  compare  yourself  with  the  example  of 
Jesus  Christ,  and  measure  your  life  by  the 
laws  of  holy  living  prescribed  in  his  gospel. 
And  in  order  that  these  and  other  topics  may 
all  have  their  place  in  the  survey,  it  may  not 
be  amiss  to  keep  them  by  you  on  a  written  list 
Cotton  Mather  adopted  and  recommended  the 
practice  of  assigning  to  such  inquiries  each  its 

H 


82       MEANS    OF    RELIGIOUS    IMPROVEMENT. 

particular  day  of  the  week  ;  so  that  every  day 
might  have  its  own  topic  of  reflection,  and 
every  topic  its  due  share  of  attention.  Others 
may  find  this  a  useful  suggestion. 

A  renewal  of  your  resolutions  ir  to  follow 
this  inquiry.  Knowing  where  you  are  and  what 
you  need,  you  are  to  arrange  your  purposes  ac- 
cordingly. It  is  a  sad  error  of  some  to  fancy 
that  seeing  and  acknowledging  their  faults  is  all 
which  is  required  of  them.  They  sit  down  and 
bewail  them,  and  in  weeping  and  sorrow  waste 
that  energy  of  mind  which  should  have  been 
exerted  in  amendment.  But  it  is  surely  far  bet- 
ter, with  manly  readiness,  to  rise  and  act  with- 
out a  tear,  than  to  shed  torrents  of  bitter  water, 
and  still  go  on  as  before.  Regret  and  remorse 
naturally  express  themselves  in  weeping ;  but 
repentance  shows  itself  in  action.  It  may  be- 
gin in  sorrow,  but  it  ends  in  reformation.  And 
you  have  little  reason  to  be  satisfied  with  your 
reflections  and  your  penitence,  if  they  do  not 
issue  in  prompt  and  resolute  action. 

III.     Praver. 

As  there  is  no  duty  more  frequently  en- 
joined in  the  New  Testament  by  our  Saviour 


PRAYER.  83 

and  the  Apostles,  so  there  is  none  which  is  a 
more  indispensable  and  efficacious  means  of 
religious  improvement,  than  Prayer;  for 
which  reasons  it  demands  particular  atten- 
tion. 

The  practice  of  devotion  is  a  sign  of  spir- 
itual life,  and  a  means  of  preserving  it.  No 
one  prays  heartily  without  some  deep  reli- 
gious sentiment  to  actuate  him.  This  sen- 
timent may  be  but  occasionally  felt ;  it  may 
be  transient  in  duration ;  but  the  exercise  of  it 
in  acts  of  devotion  tends  to  render  it  habitual 
and  permanent,  and  its  frequent  exercise 
causes  the  mind  at  length  to  exist  always  in  a 
devout  posture.  He  who  truly  prays,  feels, 
during  the  act,  a  sense  of  God's  presence, 
authority,  and  love;  of  his  own  obligations 
and  unworthiness ;  of  his  need  of  being  better. 
He  feels  grateful,  humble,  resigned,  anxious 
for  improvement.  He  who  prays  often,  often 
has  these  feelings,  and  by  frequent  repetition 
they  become  customary  and  constant.  And 
thus  prayer  operates  as  an  active,  steady,  pow- 
erful means  of  Christian  progress. 

Indeed  nothing  effectual  is  to  be  done  with- 
out it      That  it  is  a  chief  duty,  even  natural 


84       MEANS    OP    RELIGIOUS    IMPROVEMENT 

reason  would  persuade  us.  That  it  is  a  con- 
dition on  which  divine  blessings  are  bestowed^ 
Christianity  assures  us.  That  it  is  a  high  grati- 
fication and  enjoyment,  every  one  knows  who 
has  rightly  engaged  in  it.  And  that  it  is  of 
all  means  of  moral  restraint  and  spiritual  ad- 
vancement the  most  effective,  no  one  can 
doubt,  who  understands  how  powerfully  it  stirs 
and  agitates  the  strongest  and  most  active 
principles  of  man,  and  how  complete  is  the 
dominion  which  those  principles  have  over  his 
character  and  conduct.  All  this  is  clear  and 
sufficient,  without  adding  the  assurance  of  the 
Saviour,  that  it  is  effectual  to  draw  down  spir- 
itual aid  from  heaven.  Add  this,  and  the 
subject  is  complete.  It  is,  both  naturally  and 
by  appointment,  a  chief  duty  of  man ;  from 
the  nature  of  the  soul  and  the  intercourse  it 
opens  with  God,  it  is  the  first  enjoyment; 
and  through  its  own  intrinsic  power  and  the 
promise  of  Jesus,  it  is  the  most  effectual  in- 
strument of  moral  and  spiritual  culture. 

Perhaps  you  have  been  accustomed  to  the 
performance  of  this  duty  from  your  childhood 
You  were  early  taught  to  repeat  your  prayers, 
morning  and  evening.     Pains  were  taken  to 


PRAYER.  85 

make  you  understand  the  nature  of  the  duty, 
and  to  give  you  right  impressions  in  perform- 
ing it.  Perhaps  you  have  retained  these  im- 
pressions, and  have  continued  to  this  time  the 
practice  of  sincere  devotion.  On  the  other 
hand,  you  may  have  lost  those  impressions, 
and  become  neglectful  of  the  duty.  Or  per- 
haps you  are  so  unhappy  as  never  to  have  re- 
ceived instruction  on  this  head.  You  have 
passed  through  childhood  without  the  practice, 
and  without  the  sentiment  which  should  in- 
spire it ;  and  now,  when  awakened  to  a  sense 
of  your  responsibility,  you  find  yourself  a 
stranger  to  the  mercy-seat.  But,  however  the 
case  may  be,  the  sense  of  your  religious  wants 
now  urges  you  to  devotion  ;  and  you  are  anx- 
ious to  make  that  acquaintance  with  God, 
which  alone  can  secure  you  peace.  How  to 
perform  the  duty,  how  to  gain  the  satisfac- 
tion, how  to  reap  the  advantage,  are  points 
upon  which  you  are  anxious  to  obtain  direc- 
tion. 

First  of  all,  let  me  urge  upon  you  the  impor- 
tance of  a  plan  and  of  customary  seasons  for 
your  devotions.     Have   your  settled   appoint- 
ments of  time  and  place,  and  kt  nothing  in- 
8 


80      MEANS    OF    RELIGIOUS    IMPROVEMENT. 

terfere  with  them.  Many  would  persuade  you 
that  this  is  too  formal ;  that  you  should  be  left 
more  at  liberty ;  that,  as  you  are  to  pray 
always,  it  is  quite  needless  to  assign  any 
special  season  for  the  duty.  And  one  may 
conceive  of  a  person  having  arrived  at  so  high 
a  measure  of  spiritual  attainment,  that  his 
thoughts  should  be  a  perpetual  worship,  and 
retirement  to  his  closet  would  bring  his  mind 
no  nearer  to  God.  But  such  is  at  best  an 
infrequent  case  ;  at  any  rate  it  is  not  yours, — 
you  are  a  beginner ;  it  never  can  be  yours, 
except  you  use  the  requisite  means  of  arriving 
at  it ;  and  certainly  among  the  surest  means 
is  the  custom  of  setting  apart  stated  seasons 
for  devotion.  So  that  the  very  reason  assign- 
ed for  neglecting,  becomes  a  strong  reason  for 
observing  them.  You  must  feed  the  soul  as 
you  do  the  body,  furnishing  it  with  suitable 
nourishment  at  suitable  intervals.  You  must 
keep  its  armor  bright  and  serviceable,  as  does 
the  soldier  in  human  warfare,  who  examines 
and  restores  it  at  a  certain  hour  daily.  If  it 
were  left  to  be  done  at  any  convenient  season 
a  thousand  trifling  engagements  might  cause 
the  work  to  be  deferred  again  and  again,  till 


riiAYER.  87 

irretrievable  injury  should  accrue.  You  have 
too  many  other  engagements  and  enticements 
daily  and  hourly  occurring,  to  make  it  safe  for 
you  to  leave  this  to  accidental  convenience  or 
inclination.  In  order  to  secure  its  perform- 
ance, you  must  put  it  on  the  list  of  your  daily 
indispensable  engagements ;  and,  as  it  is  part 
of  your  routine  at  certain  hours  to  breakfast 
and  dine,  and  at  certain  hours  to  attend  to  the 
concerns  of  your  household  and  profession,  so 
also  must  it  be,  to  retire  at  certain  hours  for 
religious  worship.  The  wisdom  and  experi- 
ence of  all  the  religious  world  insist  on  this  ; 
and  it  would  not  be  necessary  to  state  it  so  ur- 
gently, if  it  did  not  seem  to  be  a  notion  grow- 
ing into  favor  with  some,  that,  as  the  spirit, 
and  not  the  form,  is  the  essential  thing,  it  is 
better  not  to  be  burdened  with  methods  and 
rules,  but  simply  to  pray  always; — which, 
there  is  reason  to  fear,  would  in  practice  be 
found  a  precept  to  pray  never. 

Assign  to  yourself  therefore  some  conve- 
nient hour,  when  you  shall  be  secure  from 
interruption,  and  not  hurried  by  the  call  of 
other  business.  If  you  are  much  engaged 
in  active  affairs,  you  may  perhaps  be  unable 


OO       MEANS    OF    RELIGIOUS    IMPROVEMENT. 

to  secure  this,  unless  you  rise  for  the  purpose 
in  the  morning,  and  sit  up  for  it  at  night. 
This,  then,  you  must  do.  Deprive  yourself  of 
a  few  moments'  sleep,  morning  and  evening. 
And  I  may  ask  here,  whether  the  multitude 
of  persons  who  excuse  their  inattention  to 
religious  exercises  by  their  want  of  time,  do 
not  thereby  expose  themselves  to  a  suspicion 
of  insincerity?  For  if  they  were  truly  ir 
earnest,  it  would  be  a  very  little  thing  to  retire 
to  their  chambers  fifteen  minutes  earlier, 
and  to  rise  from  their  beds  fifteen  minutes 
sooner.  If  they  were  aware  of  the  magnitude 
of  the  gain,  the  sacrifice  would  seem  insignifi- 
cant. Nay,  they  might  even  perform  the  duty 
upon  their  beds ;  there  would  be  no  want  of 
time  then.  And  some,  who,  from  the  misfor- 
tune of  poverty,  have  no  place  to  which  they 
can  retire,  being  compelled  to  live  at  every 
moment  in  the  company  of  others,  should 
learn  to  feel  that  the  bed  is  their  closet ;  that, 
when  lying  there,  they  can  'pray  to  the 
Father  who  seeth  in  secret;'  and  that  they 
need  make  no  complaint  of  want  of  opportuni- 
ty, so  long  as  they  may  follow  the  Psalmist, 


PRAYEiR.  89 

who   said,    '  I   remember    thee   on    my   bed, 
and  meditate  on  thee  in  the  night-watches.' 

Having,  then,  your  stated  times,  if  you 
would  make  them  in  the  highest  measure  prof- 
itable, observe  the  following  rules.  First  of 
all,  when  the  hour  has  arrived,  seek  to  excite  in 
your  mind  a  sense  of  the  divine  presence,  and 
of  the  greatness  of  the  act  in  which  you  are 
engaging.  Summon  up  the  whole  energy  of 
your  mind.  Put  all  your  powers  upon  the 
stretch.  Do  not  allow  yourself  to  utter  a 
word,  to  use  an  expression,  thoughtlessly,  nor 
without  setting  before  yourself,  in  a  distinct 
form,  its  full  meaning.  Remember  the  words 
of  Ecclesiasticus :  *  When  you  glorify  the 
Lord,  exalt  him  as  much  as  you  can  ;  for  even 
yet  will  he  far  exceed :  and  when  you  exalt 
him,  put  forth  all  your  strength,  and  be  not 
weary;  for  you  can  never  go  far  enough.* 
Pour  your  whole  soul,  the  utmost  intensity  of 
your  feelings,  into  your  words.  One  sentence 
uttered  thus  is  better  than  the  cold  repetition 
of  an  entire  liturgy  For  this  reason,  let  your 
prayer  be  preceded  by  meditation.  In  this 
way  make  an  earnest  effort  after  a  devout 
temper.  While  you  thus  muse,  the  fire  of 
8*  I 


90       MEANS    OF    RELIGIOUS    IMPROVEMENT. 

your  devotion  will  kindle,  and  then  you  may 
*  speak  with  your  tongue  ;  *  then  you  may 
breathe  out  the  adoring  sentiments  6f  praise 
and  thanksgiving,  the  holy  aspirations  after 
excellence  and  grace,  the  humble  confessions 
of  your  contrite  spirit,  the  glowing  emotions 
of  Christian  faith.  As  you  proceed,  you  will 
probably  find  yourself  increasing  in  warmth 
and  energy ;  especially  if  you  give  way  to  the 
impulse  of  your  feelings,  and  do  not  check 
them  by  watching  them  too  closely.  To  do 
this  chills  the  current  of  devotion,  and  changes 
your  prayer  from  the  simple  expression  of 
desire  and  affection,  into  an  exercise  of  mental 
philosophy.  Wherefore,  having  warmed  your 
mind,  give  it  free  way,  and  let  its  religious 
ardor  flow  on.  But  if,  as  will  often  be  the 
case,  you  find  your  thoughts  wander  and  your 
feelings  cool,  then  pause,  and  by  silent 
thought  bring  back  the  mind  to  its  duty ;  and 
thus  intermix  meditation  with  prayer,  in  such 
manner  that  you  shall  never  fall  into  the 
mechanical,  unmeaning  repetition  of  mere 
words. 

As  your  object  is  not  to  get  through  with  a 
certain  task,  but  to  pray  devoutly,  you   will 


PRAYER.  91 

find  it  well  to  vary  your  method  according  to 
circumstances,  and  not  always  adhere  to  the 
same  mode.  I  have  sometimes  suspected, 
that  one  cause  of  the  little  efficacy  of  public 
worship  may  be  the  invariable  method  of  con- 
ducting it;  whereby  it  is  rendered  formal, 
monotonous,  and  deficient  in  excitement. 
But  however  this  may  be,  it  is  quite  certain 
that  a  similar  unvaried  routine  would  be 
extremely  injudicious  in  private  devotion.  In 
this  respect,  a  very  considerable  latitude  is 
desirable.  As  you  are  not  to  consult  the 
wants  or  the  convenience  of  others,  but  your 
own  duty  alone,  you  may  have  a  single  regard 
to  what  shall  suit  the  immediate  temper  and 
exigencies  of  your  own  mind,  without  being 
bound  by  any  prescribed  rule  as  to  subject, 
language,  or  posture. — You  will  always  have 
by  you  the  Bible  to  quicken  and  guide  you. 
But  sometimes  the  first  verse  you  read  may 
lead  you  to  feelings,  thoughts,  and  prayers, 
which  shall  so  occupy  your  soul  that  you  will 
read  no  more.  And  it  is  better  to  read  but 
one  verse,  which  thus  influences  your  whole 
spiritual  nature,  than  to  read  chapters  in  the 
unheedful  way  that  is  too  often  practised.     At 


f)2      MEANS    OF    RETJGTOrTS    IMPROVEMENT. 

another  time,  however,  the  reading  of  the 
Scriptures  may  bo  your  principal  occupation, 
and  your  less  excited  mind  may  not  flow 
beyond  a  short  ejaculation  at  the  close  of  each 
verse.  Sometimes  you  may  find  it  well  to 
assist  yourself  by  a  printed  or  written  form; 
always,  however,  taking  care  to  leave  it,  when 
any  sentiment  or  feeling  arises  within  you 
which  is  not  there  expressed.  The  main 
advantage  of  a  form  in  private  is,  to  suggest 
thoughts,  and  stimulate  the  mind ;  as  soon  as 
it  has  dope  this,  we  should  lay  it  down,  and  go 
on  of  ourselves.  Then,  presently,  if  we  find 
it  necessary,  we  may  again  recur  to  the  form, 
and  make  the  whole  exercise,  if  we  please,  an 
alternate  use  of  the  form,  and  of  our  own 
language.  In  all  this  we  must  be  guided  by 
the  occasion. 

Similar  varieties  may  be  allowed  in  regard 
to  the  subjects  of  our  devotions.  There  are 
some  great  and  leading  topics  of  adoration 
and  supplication,  which  may  at  no  time  be 
forgotten  or  omitted.  But  it  cannot  be  neces- 
sary in  every  prayer  to  go  over  the  whole  field 
of  devotional  sentiment.  It  is  best  that  we 
confine  ourselves  principally  to   those  which 


PRAYER.  93 

are  most  immediately  interesting  at  the  time, 
and  seek  to  render  our  present  circumstances, 
fortunes,  failings,  and  prospects,  the  nourish- 
ment of  our  devotion.  The  temptations  of  our 
peculiar  lot,  our  recent  trials  of  temper,  forti- 
tude, and  faith,  the  dealings  of  Providence  with 
our  family  and  friends,  the  exposure,  wants, 
and  improvement  of  those  most  dear  to  us, — 
these,  as  they  are  at  other  moments  of  the 
greatest  concern  to  us,  should  be  the  objects 
upon  which  we  should,  first  of  all,  seek  the 
blessing  of  God.  This  it  is  to  connect  every 
thing  with  religion ;  in  this  way  we  shall  avoid 
the  error,  into  which  some  have  fallen,  of  mak- 
ing religion  a  wholly  independent  existence, 
with  no  reference  to  the  ordinary  duties  of  ac- 
tive life,  and  no  bearing  on  its  common  con- 
cerns, and  of  course  exercising  no  influence 
upon  them.  Such  persons  have  exhibited  the 
strange  spectacle  of  two  contradictory  charac- 
ters in  one  man,  the  one  apparently  devout, 
the  other  immoral.  But  the  consistent  Chris- 
tian will  never  separate  his  religion  from  his 
life,  nor  his  life  from  his  religion.  He  will 
seek  to  incorporate  them  most  intimately  with 
each  other.     And  this  he  will  effect,   in   no 


94       MEANS    OP    RELIGIOUS    IMPROVEMENT. 

small  degree,  by  making  his  daily  prayers,  not 
the  expression  of  general  principles,  and 
indefinite  confession,  the  recitation  of  articles 
of  faith,  or  declaration  of  vague  desires  aftei 
holiness;  but  the  expression  of  those  senti- 
ments which  belong  to  his  peculiar  condition, 
and  a  perpetual  reference  to  his  personal 
character  and  circumstances.  It  is  for  these 
and  concerning  these  that  he  will  pray ;  and 
therefore  his  prayers  will  vary  as  these  do. 

So  much,  in  a  general  way,  respecting  the 
subjects  of  private  devotion.  Next  we  may 
say  a  few  words  respecting  the  posture.  This 
need  not  be  invariably  the  same.  Many  have 
laid  stress  upon  it ;  but  it  seems  to  me  there 
is  a  certain  freedom  to  be  allowed  in  this 
particular  to  those  who  are  invited  *  to  come 
boldly  to  the  throne  of  grace.*  Provided  we 
secure  the  right  state  of  the  heart,  it  can  mat- 
ter little  what  the  attitude  of  the  body  may  be. 
There  are  times  when  the  lowest  prostration 
seems  best  to  express  and  promote  the  senti- 
ment of  lowly  adoration  and  broken-hearted 
humiliation  in  which  the  worshipper  suppli- 
cates his  Father.  But  again,  in  a  different 
tone  of  spirit,  he  is  prompted  to  stand  erect, 


PRAYER.  95 

and  lift  up  bis  head  and  hands,  as  an  attitude 
most  corresponding  to  the  elevated  sen- 
timents by  which  he  is  filled.  While 
sometimes  he  feels  that  in  walking  to  and  firo, 
or  sitting  with  his  head  leaning  upon  his 
hands,  he  can  best  summon  his  mind  to 
spiritual  worship.  Cecil  says,  that  his  oratory 
was  a  little  walk  in  the  corner  of  his  chamber, 
where  he  paced  backward  and  forward  as  he 
prayed.  Others  have  been  able  to  be  devout 
only  on  their  knees.  What  I  would  briefly 
urge  is,  that  you  be  not  scrupulous  on  this 
head.  Allow  yourself  in  any  mode.  Try  va- 
rious modes.  Adopt,  from  time  to  time,  that 
which  best  cultivates  and  encourages  the  right 
tone  of  feeling.  At  the  same  time,  you  will 
probably  find  some  truth  in  the  remark,  that 
the  adoption  of  a  suitable  posture  aids  the 
adoption  of  a  suitable  frame  of  mind ;  that  the 
expression  of  reverence  in  the  attitude  conveys 
a  feeling  of  reverence  to  the  spirit ;  for  which 
reason  it  will  be  generally  best  to  assume  the 
posture  most  associated  with  the  sentiments  of 
devotion,  and  depart  from  it  only  when  the 
change  may  be  favorable  to  engagedness  and 
fervor  of  mind.     The  soul   may  be  as  truly 


96      MEANS    OF    RELIGIOUS    IMPROVEMENT. 

prostrated  when  you  stand,  or  walk,  or  ride,  or 
work,  or  lie  in  your  bed,  as  when  you  knee] 
before  the  altar. 

Neither  be  too  scrupulous  concerning  the 
use  of  your  lips.  It  is  oftentimes  as  well,  or 
better,  to  pray  mentally,  without  uttering  a 
sound.  Yet  at  the  same  time  there  is  danger, 
if  this  become  our  practice,  that  it  will  end  in 
turnmg  prayer  into  meditation,  and  that  our 
hours  of  devotion  will  become  hours  of  musing 
and  reverie.  This  would  be  injurious;  and 
therefore  we  should  commonly  use  articulate 
language.  Our  thoughts  are  so  much  asso- 
ciated with  words,  and  words  with  their 
sounds,  that  it  is  not  easy  to  think  connectedly 
and  profitably  without  the  use  of  speech.  It 
is  well,  as  I  have  before  said,  to  muse  for  a 
time;  but  when,  after  musing,  the  fire  is 
kindled  within  us,  as  the  Psalmist  expresses 
it,  then  we  should  *  speak  with  our  tongues.' 
We  shall  find  this  an  essential  aid  in  render- 
ing our  sentiments  and  train  of  thought 
distinct  to  ourselves;  and  in  so  impressing 
them  on  our  memories,  that  we  shall  be  able 
to  employ  them  afterward  for  our  guidance 
and  comfort.     Good  sentiments,  which  merely 


PRAYER  97 

pass  through  the  mind,  but  are  not  put  into 
words,  are  apt  to  leave  no  trace  behind  them  ; 
and  he  who  should  habitually  indulge  himself 
in  thinking  his  prayers,  instead  of  expressing 
them,  would  find  it  extremely  difficult  to  say 
what  he  had  prayed  for,  or  to  turn  to  any 
account  in  common  life  the  employment  of 
his  sacred  hours. 

Meditation  is,  in  its  nature,  an  act  very 
distinct  from  prayer,  and  must  be  very  dis- 
tinct in  its  effects.  Some  effects  may  be 
common  to  the  two ;  but  much  of  the  peculiar 
and  the  happiest  influence  of  devotion  on  the 
character  must  be  lost  to  the  man  who 
allows  musing  to  take  the  place  of  prayer. 
It  is  one  thing  to  contemplate  a  blessing  and 
desire  it;  quite  another  to  ask  for  it.  The 
latter  may  require  a  very  different  temper 
of  mind  from  the  former ;  and  it  is  plain  that 
the  promise  of  God  is  given  to  those  who  ask, 
not  to  those  who  desire  ;  to  those  who  employ 
petition,  not  those  who  are  content  with  con- 
templation. Therefore  arrange  your  thoughts 
m  words ;  and  generally  give  them  a  distinct 
utterance  in  sound ;  pausing  occasionally  for 
reflection,  and  being  certain  that  you  do  not 
9 


98       MEANS    OF    RELIGIOUS    IMPROVEMENT. 

employ  words  only,  but  that  the  thoughts 
which  they  express  are  actually  m  your  mind. 
In  regard  to  the  choice  of  words,  be  not 
too  anxious.  Take  those  which  express  your 
meaning,  without  regard  to  their  elegance 
or  eloquence.  You  will  naturally  fall  into 
language  borrowed  from  the  Scriptures,  and 
that  is  always  good  and  appropriate.  Only 
take  heed  that  you  do  not  use  it  mechanically, 
and  without  due  consideration  of  its  signifi- 
cance. But  when  you  do  not  use  the  terms 
of  scripture,  take  those  which  express  what 
you  mean,  and  consider  nothing  further.  I 
would  lay  the  more  stress  upon  this,  because 
some  persons  actually  plead,  as  an  excuse  for 
the  neglect  of  this  duty,  that  they  have  no 
command  of  language,  and  cannot  readily 
find  correct  and  proper  words.  This  would 
be  a  very  good  reason  for  not  attempting  to 
pray  in  public ;  and  it  were  to  be  wished  that 
some,  who  are  forward  to  exhibit  themselves 
in  this  act,  would  consider  it  more  seriously. 
It  is  an  injury  to  religion,  when  he,  who 
speaks  to  God  in  the  public  assembly,  or  the 
circle  of  social  worship,  does  it  in  rude, 
hesitating,  confused,  inappropriate,  or  ungram- 


PRAYER.  99 

matical  language.  But  in  private,  when  you 
are  simply  to  pour  out  your  heart,  and  have 
no  witness  but  Heaven,  allow  yourself  to  put 
aside  all  solicitude  on  this  head.  Speak  as 
you  feel,  and  what  you  feel ;  only  taking  care 
that  your  feelings  are  right,  and  that  you  know 
what  they  are.  Alas !  you  will  often  find  it  a 
task  difficult  enough  to  regulate  your  feelings, 
govern  your  thoughts,  repress  wandering  de- 
sires, keep  out  vain  images,  and  bring  your 
soul  to  a  proper  attitude  of  reverence  and  love, 
without  the  added  embarrassment  of  arrang 
ing  words  by  the  rules  of  rhetoric  and  taste. 
This  is  an  occupation  which  interferes  with 
the  spirituality  of  the  duty  you  are  per- 
forming. I  beseech  you  to  disregard  it 
altogether. 

As  respects  times  and  seasons,  it  may  be 
considered  as  a  salutary  rule,  that  it  is  better 
to  pray  often  than  long.  There  are  times, 
undoubtedly,  when  the  mind  is  glowing  and 
the  heart  full,  that  the  exercise  may  be  advan- 
tageously continued  through  a  long  period, 
and  the  disciple,  like  his  Master,  may  spend 
the  whole  night  in  prayer.  It  would  be  a 
pity  to  check  the  current  when  it  flows  thus 


100   MEANS    OF    RELIGIOUS    IMPROVEMENT. 

spontaneously,  or  to  lose  the  luxury  of  such 
a  season.  There  may  be  occasions,  too, 
when  duty  and  improvement  shaJ  seem  to 
demand  an  extraordinary  continuance  in 
devotion.  I  do  not  therefore  recommend 
that  you  should  limit  yourself  to  a  certain 
stinted  number  of  minutes.  But,  as  a 
general  rule,  do  not  covet  long  prayers; 
rather  multiply  their  number  than  increase 
their  length.  This  is  the  rule  of  Christ ; 
who  insists  that  we  pray  often  and  always, 
but  that  we  do  not  pray  long.  A  most 
wise  regulation.  For  the  mind  is  easily 
wearied  by  a  long  exercise,  and  is  likely  to 
return  to  it  slowly  and  reluctantly;  and  in  the 
interval,  it  is  liable  to  go  back,  like  the 
swinging  pendulum,  into  a  directly  opposite 
state.  From  which  cause  it  may  too  readily 
happen  that  the  extended  devotions  of  the 
morning  shall  exhaust  the  attention  of  the 
mind,  and  produce  religious  listlessness  during 
the  day.  Whereas,  a  shorter  act  of  worship, 
which  should  excite  without  exhausting,  which 
should  kindle  the  fire  but  not  burn  it  out, 
would  leave  a  glow  upon  the  feelings,  that 
would   abide   for   hours,   and   prompt  to  hc!y 


PRAYER.  101 

thoughts  and  spontaneous  acts  of  worship  at 
short  intervals  throughout  the  day.  In  this 
manner,  the  great  object  of  keeping  up  a 
rehgious  wakefulness  and  sensibility  is  with 
greater  certainty  obtained,  and  the  whole 
current  of  life  more  surely  colored  by  the 
infusion  of  religious  sentiment. 

Let  this,  therefore,  be  your  method.  Ac- 
custom yourself  to  what  is  called  ejaculatory 
prayer ;  that  is,  to  very  frequent  petitions  and 
thanksgivings,  bursting  out  from  your  soul  at 
all  times  and  wherever  you  may  be.  Walk 
with  God  as  you  would  journey  with  an 
intimate  friend ;  not  satisfied  to  make  forma! 
addresses  to  him  at  stated  seasons,  but  turning 
to  him  in  brief  and  familiar  speech  whenevei 
opportunity  offers,  or  occasion  or  feeling 
prompts.  Remember  that  ceremonious  ad- 
dresses are  appointed,  and  are  chiefly  necessa- 
ry, on  social  and  ceremonious  occasions,  when 
a  company  of  men  is  together,  and  many 
minds  are  to  act  at  once.  They  can  act  and 
be  acted  upon  simultaneously  in  no  other 
way ;  and  therefore,  in  civil  and  state  affairs, 
as  well  as  in  religious,  this  method  is  in  use 
But  when  we  come  to  more  private,  domestic, 
9* 


102    MILiNS    OF    RELIGIOUS    IMPROTEMENT. 

confidential  intercourse,  we  abandon  these 
formal  and  complimentary  arrangements,  and 
find  it  most  natural  and  happy  to  do  as  occa- 
sion prompts,  in  a  fi*ee  and  unrestrained  style 
of  conduct  and  of  speech.  Just  so  it  should 
be  in  our  more  private  and  confidential 
communion  with  the  great  Father  of  our 
spirits.  The  more  it  is  unembarrassed  by 
precise  forms  and  ceremonious  appendages, 
/  and  left  to  the  promptings  of  the  feelings  and 
I  of  the  moment,  the  more  appropriate  is  it  to 
our  title  of  *  children,'  and  the  greater  is  the 
felicity  which  it  furnishes. 

It  has,  of  course,  been  implied  in  the  pre- 
ceding remarks,  that  all  is  to  be  done  in  the 
spirit  of  devotion.  In  what  manner  this  may 
be  effected,  it  is  necessary  to  state  more 
distinctly ;  and  the  rules  to  be  given  for  this 
end  will  sufficiently  explain  in  what  that 
spirit  consists. 

First,  then,  the  genuine,  effectual  prayer 
is  the  prayer  of  Faith ;  not  of  words,  not  of 
form ;  not  an  exercise  of  the  understanding, 
reasoning  on  the  attributes  and  dispensations 
of  God,  and  uttering  its  judgments  on  duty : 
but   an    address   to   him,  accompanied    by   a 


PRAYER.  103 

confident  persuasion  that  he  hears  and  regards. 
'  He  that  cometh  to  God,'  says  the  Apostle, 
*  must  beheve  that  he  is,  and  that  he  is  a 
rewarder  of  them  that  diligently  seek  him.' 
Of  this  there  must  be  no  doubt  on  the  mind. 
You  must  realize  that  you  are  actually  speak- 
ing to  him,  and  he  listening  to  you,  as  truly 
as  when  you  address  yourself  to  a  visible 
mortal ;  and  you  must  have  as  real  a  conviction 
that  something  depends  on  the  act,  and  as  real 
a  desire  to  receive  vi^hat  you  ask  for,  as  when 
you  make  a  request  for  some  important  favor 
to  a  human  friend.  If  you  doubt,  your  prayer 
is  weak  and  inefficacious.  *  Ask  in  faith,' 
says  James,  *  nothing  wavering ;  for  he  that 
wavereth  is  like  a  wave  of  the  sea,  driven 
with  the  wind  and  tossed.'  His  uncertain 
and  fluctuating  mind  wants  stability,  and 
cannot  receive  a  blessing.  Therefore  it  is 
added,  *  Let  not  that  man  think  that  he  shall 
obtain  any  thing  from  the  Lord.'  May  we 
not  suppose,  that  much  of  the  dissat;isfaction 
attendant  on  our  prayers,  and  much  of  their 
unfruitfulness,  is  owing  to  the  doubtful, 
hesuatmg  state  of  mind  in  which  they  are 
offered?     And  what  can  be  more  miserably 


104      MEANS  OF  RELIGIOUS   IMPROVEMENT. 

destructive  of  all  energy  and  interest  in  the 
employment?  If  you  doubt  whether  you 
shall  be  heard,  you  will  pray  timidly  and 
coldly,  without  courage  or  spirit.  If  your 
prayers  are  thus  lifeless,  your  conduct  will 
be  so  too,  and  all  spiritual  savor  will  fade 
away  from  your  life.  Do  not,  then,  allow  in 
yourself  this  doubtfulness  of  temper.  The 
most  extravagant  fanaticism,  which  sees  a 
visible  light  descending  as  it  prays,  and  finds 
an  answer  in  presentiments  and  dreams, 
is  not  more  mistaken,  and  is  far  more  happy. 
Give  yourself  up  to  the  assurance,  that  they 
who  ask  shall  be  heard,  and  go  *  boldly  to 
the  throne  of  grace.'  Jesus,  by  his  invitations 
and  doctrine,  has  given  you  a  right  to  this 
confidence;  and  it  is  only  in  the  exercise 
of  it,  humbly,  but  firmly,  that  you  may  *  cast 
out  the  fear  which  hath  torment.' 

Next,  your  prayer  must  be  fervent;  that 
IS,  your  affections  must  be  engaged  and  in- 
terested in  it.  You  must  not  barely,  as  a 
reasoning  philosopher,  or  well  instructed  pupil, 
declare  what  you  coolly  judge  to  be  right, 
and  assert  that  man,  in  his  present  relations, 
ought  to  seek  and   io  what  is  right,  and  tha» 


PRAYER.  1 05 

God,  as  the  Father  and  Governor,  should  be 
adored  and  obeyed  (which  is  the  tenor  of  the 
devotional  exercises  one  sometimes  hears) ; 
but  you  must  set  yourself  actually  to  do  these 
things.  You  can  only  be  said  to  pray  when 
the  sentiment  you  utter  springs  from  your 
heart;  and,  rising  above  all  the  arguments 
and  persuasions  of  the  wise,  you  pour  out 
your  feelings,  as  a  little  child  confides  its 
thoughts  to  a  parent's  bosom;  thinking  only 
of  your  own  dependence  and  need,  and  of 
God's  ability  and  readiness  to  succor  you, 
and  earnestly  aspiring  after  that  purity  and 
piety,  which  you  feel  to  constitute  the  excel- 
lence and  bliss  of  man.  When  this  fervent 
glow  is  upon  your  mind,  you  pray  in  the 
spirit.  Seek  for  it.  Be  not  content  with- 
out it. 

In  the  njext  place,  do  not  allow  yourself  to 
grow  weary.  Persevere ;  however  ill  satisfied, 
however  discouraged,  persevere.  Open  the 
New  Testament,  and  you  will  see  how  this  is 
insisted  upon,  again  and  again,  and  by  various 
illustrations.  '  That  men  should  always  pray, 
and  never  faint,'  was  the  great  moral  of  more 
than  one  of  our  Lord's  parables ;  and  to  '  pray 
K 


106      MEANS  OF  RELIGIOUS  IMPROVEMENT. 

without  ceasing '  was  the  corresponding  direc- 
tion of  his  Apostles.  Situated  as  we  are  in 
this  world,  there  is  danger  that,  perceiving  little 
immediate  fruit  from  our  devotions,  we  should 
relax  our  diligence  in  them ;  first  doubting 
their  value,  then  losing  our  interest  in  them, 
and  then  ceasing  to  perform  them.  But  we 
should  recollect,  that,  in  this  case,  as  in  all 
the  most  important  and  admirable  provisions 
of  Divine  Wisdom,  it  is  the  order  of  Heav- 
en to  give,  not  to  a  single  exertion,  nor  to  a 
few  acts,  nor  even  to  some  continuance  of 
effort,  but  only  to  a  long,  unremitted,  perse- 
vering effort.  We  read  this  lesson  every 
where.  Look  at  that  glorious  operation  of 
God,  by  which  the  sun  cherishes  and  matures 
the  fruits  of  the  earth  for  the  sustenance  of 
its  creatures.  It  is  not  accomplished  by  one 
act,  nor  by  several  acts,  nor  yet  by  sudden, 
violent  exertions  of  power.  He  sends  out  his 
beams  steadily,  day  by  day,  month  after 
month;  yet  the  fruit  is  still  green,  the  harvest 
immature ;  and  if,  weary  with  the  work,  he 
should  abandon  it,  famine  might  devastate  the 
globe,  when  but  six  days'  longer  perseverance 
would  see  it  successful.    The  whole  toil  of  the 


PRAYER  107 

season  might  thus  be  lost,  when  a  trifling  addi- 
tion only  was  necessary  to  render  it  all-effective. 
In  how  many  other  cases  is  the  same  truth  il- 
lustrated !  Will  you,  then,  abandon  your  pray- 
ers, because  you  do  not  witness  the  effect  from 
them  which  you  desire  ?  Will  you  be  discour- 
aged, when,  by  a  little  longer  continuance,  you 
may  receive  the  full  blessing  at  once  ?  Shall 
the  husbandman  'wait  patiently,'  and  will 
you,  looking  for  an  immortal  harvest,  lose  it 
for  want  of  patience  ?  No.  This  is  the  eter- 
nal, immutable  rule  in  regard  to  all  great  ac- 
quisitions. Piety  and  virtue,  character  and 
immortality,  depend  upon  a  long  succession 
of  actions,  neither  of  them,  taken  singly,  of 
essential  moment,  yet  all,  in  the  aggregate,  es- 
sential to  effect  the  great  end  in  view.  Apply 
this  consideration  to  your  prayers,  and  reso- 
lutely persevere. 

Thus  it  is  the  humble  prayer  of  confident 
faith,  fervent  and  persevering,  from  which 
you  are  to  hope  benefit  and  acceptance. 

But  you  may  ask.  How  shall  1  know  that  it 
is  accepted,  and  with  what  answer  should  I  be 
satisfied  ? 

To  the  first  part  of  this  question,  there  is 


i08      MEANS  OF  RELIGIOUS  IMPROVEMENT. 

but  one  reply.  If  you  are  conscious  of  having 
prayed  aright,  you  may  be  assured  that  your 
prayer  is  accepted.  You  can  have  no  exter- 
nal evidence  of  the  fact ;  but  the  Scriptures 
every  where  declare,  that  a  right  prayer 
is  certainly  accepted.  This,  then,  is  a  reason 
for  self-examination,  and  for  carefully  regu- 
lating the  state  of  your  mind. 

You  may.  imagine,  however,  that  you  are 
rather  to  judge  by  the  answer  to  your  prayers ; 
and  that  if,  after  offering  earnest  petitions  for 
certain  blessings,  you  find  them  denied,  you 
are  to  suppose  that  your  devotions  are  not  ac- 
cepted. 

In  regard  to  this,  I  observe,  that  the  purpose 
of  prayer  is  twofold — particular  and  general ; 
the  first,  to  supplicate  certain  specific  bless- 
ings which  we  need  or  desire ;  the  second,  to 
obtain  the  divine  favor  in  general ;  or,  which 
is  equivalent  to  it,  to  obtain  that  state  of  mind 
and  heart  which  is  always  an  object  of  com- 
placency with  God,  and  secures  his  permanent 
approbation.  Now  it  is  evident,  that  the 
latter  is  an  object  infinitely  more  important 
than  the  former.  It  is  of  no  consequence 
whether  your  receive  certain  gifts  of  health,  or 


PRAYER.  109 

safety,  or  prosperous  affairs,  in  comparison 
with  the  importance  of  attaining  that  frame  of 
soul  which  God  approves,  and  which  will  fit 
you  for  heaven.  If,  then,  you  have  plainly 
gathered  from  your  devotions  the  advantage 
of  a  religious  growth,  if  you  are  brought  by 
them  nearer  to  God,  formed  into  the  likeness 
of  Jesus  Christ,  and  made  superior  to  the 
things  of  earth  and  sense ; — then  you  have 
gained  the  highest  objects  which  man  may  as- 
pire to,  and  should  feel  no  dissatisfaction  or 
doubt  because  inferior  blessings  are  denied. 
Having  received  the  greater,  you  should  be 
content  not  to  receive  the  less.  And  this  is  a 
sufficient  reply  to  the  second  part  of  the  ques- 
tion stated  above :  viz.  With  what  answer 
shall  I  be  satisfied  ?  Be  satisfied  with  that  an- 
swer which  is  found  in  the  improving  state  of 
your  own  religious  affections;  in  the  peace, 
serenity,  confidence,  and  hope,  which  belong 
to  a  mind  habitually  conversant  with  God,  and 
which  God  bestows  only  on  such. 

I  do  not  mean  to  say,  that  other  and  more 

specific  answers  may  not  be  sometimes  given ; 

for  doubtless  the  devout  mind  may  oflen  have 

reason  to  trace  particular  blessings,  and  with 

10 


no     MEANS  OF  RELIGIOUS  IMPROVEMENT. 

a  practised  eye  may  trace  them,  to  a  source 
which  has  been  opened  in  reply  to  the  prayer 
of  faith.  When  you  shall  perceive  it  to  be  so 
in  your  own  case,  happy  will  you  be ;  and 
you  will  not  fail  to  acknowledge  it  with  suit- 
able gratitude.  But  what  I  mean  to  say  is, 
that  this  is  not  what  you  are  habitually  to  ex- 
pect; you  are  not  to  wait  for  this  in  order 
to  the  satisfaction  of  your  mind.  God  feeds 
his  children  with  spiritual  food ;  and  it  is 
one  part  of  his  discipline  of  their  faith,  to 
deny  them  temporal  blessings  in  order  to 
the  more  abundant  bestowal  of  those  that  are 
spiritual ;  to  advance  the  moral  man  to  perfec- 
tion through  the  disappointment  or  mortifica- 
tion of  the  outward  man.  Do  not,  then,  be 
uneasy,  because  your  prayers  may  at  first  view 
seem  inefficacious.  The  service  of  truth  and 
virtue  is  not  to  be  rewarded  by  the  wages  of 
this  world's  goods.  Health,  strength,  riches, 
prosperity,  are  not  the  best,  they  are  not  the 
appropriate,  recompense,  for  self-denial,  humil- 
ity, benevolence,  and  purity.  The  true  recom- 
pense is  eternal  and  imperishable.  If  you 
have  this,  why  be  dissatisfied  that  you  have 
not  the  other?     If  you  have  this,  how  can 


PRAYER.  Ill 

you   fancy  that   God   has   not  accepted   your 
prayer  ? 

To  which  it  may  be  added,  that,  if  you 
prayed  aright,  you  prayed  in  the  spirit  of  sub- 
mission ;  not  only  acknowledging,  but  feeling, 
the  wisdom  of  Heaven  to  be  greater  than  your 
own,  and  desiring  to  obtain  only  such  gifts  as 
that  wisdom  should  judge  it  best  to  bestow. 
Such  gifts,  of  course,  are  granted.  If,  there- 
fore, you  were  sincere,  you  should  be  content. 
You  are  not  relieved,  perhaps,  from  the 
trouble  against  which  you  prayed;  the  evil 
you  fear  comes,  the  good  you  desire  is  denied, 
notwithstanding  your  earnest  supplication. 
But  does  it  follow  that  your  prayer  is  slighted  ? 
Believe  it  not.  What  you  designed  was,  to 
ask  blessings;  you  named  the  things  which 
you  esteemed  such ;  but  at  the  same  time  you 
knew  that  your  judgment  was  fallible.  If 
God  has  refused  the  things  specified,  it  is  be- 
cause in  his  judgment  they  would  not  prove 
blessings,  and  he  has  bestowed  in  their  stead 
an  increase  of  faith,  which  is  a  real  blessing. 
Or  perhaps  I  may  say,  he  has  proposed  to  you 
a  discipline  of  your  faith,  which  will  prove  a 
transcendent  good,  unless,  by  your  blind  dis- 


1 12      MEANS  OF  RELIGIOUS  IMPROVEMENT. 

content  and  misuse  of  it,  you  turn  it  into  a 
curse. 

It  will  follow  from  these  remarks,  that  we 
are  to  dwell  in  prayer  on  topics  i-ather  of  a 
spiritual  than  of  a  temporal  nature ;  that  we 
should  ask  such  things  as  relate  rather  to  our 
character  than  to  our  condition,  rather  to  our 
religious  than  to  our  worldly  prosperity.  For, 
these  being  the  chief  objects  of  desire  and 
happiness  (so  much  so,  that  our  petitions  for 
earthly  good  oftentimes  receive  no  reply 
but  in  the  state  of  our  own  minds),  it  must 
follow  that  they  should  be  our  chief  objects 
of  interest  and  desire  in  our  exalted  hours 
of  communication  with  God.  Our  religious 
addresses  in  those  hours  are  made  up  of 
adoration,  thanksgiving,  confession,  petition. 
Now,  two  of  these,  adoration  and  confession, 
relate  to  spiritual  objects  exclusively.  The 
other  two  relate  to  objects  of  both  a  spiritual 
and  temporal  character,  the  blessings  and 
wants  of  both  soul  and  body.  But  it  is  plain 
that  the  former  far  exceed  the  latter  in  num- 
ber and  in  importance,  and  should  therefore 
occupy  the  larger  share  of  attention.  If,  then, 
you  would  do  what  is  most  consonant  to  the 


PRA  £BR.  1 13 

nature  of  the  exercise,  and  your  own  most 
real  wants ;  if  you  would  receive  blessings 
corresponding  to  the  petitions  you  express  ; 
you  will  dwell  principally  on  spiritual  and 
immortal  good ;  seeking  first  of  all,  in 
prayer  as  at  all  times,  *  the  kingdom  of  God 
and  its  righteousness.'  You  will  do  this, 
also,  if  you  would  copy  the  pattern  which 
our  Lord  has  given  ;  for  of  the  seven  sen- 
tences of  the  prayer  which  he  taught  his 
disciples,  only  one  has  relation  to  man's  tem- 
poral condition.  You  will  do  it,  if  you  would 
imitate  our  great  Exemplar  and  Master, 
whose  recorded  prayers  have  exclusive 
regard  to  the  welfare  of  his  spiritual  king- 
dom and  the  bestowment  of  internal  bless- 
ings. 

And  it  is  not  to  the  example  alone  of  the 
Saviour  that  you  are  to  have  reference  in 
your  prayers.  You  are  also  to  regard  him 
as  the  Mediator  through  whom  they  are  to 
be  offered.  It  belongs  to  the  system  of  our 
religion,  that  the  thought  of  its  Founder 
should  be  associated  in  the  minds  of  its  dis- 
ciples with  all  that  they  are  and  do;  with 
their  sense  of  obligation,  and  their  sentiments 
10*  L 


114      MEANS  OF  RELIGIOUS  IMPROVEMENT. 

of  piety.  They  are  '  to  do  every  thing  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord  Jesus ;'  with  a  conscious- 
ness of  their  connexion  with  him,  and  of  their 
dependence  upon  the  instruction,  motives, 
and  strength,  which  they  have  received  from 
him.  They  are  ^  to  walk  by  faith  in  the  Son 
of  God.'  His  image  is  to  be  blended  with  their 
whole  life.  Especially  is  this  to  be  the  case  in 
the  acts  of  life  which  are  strictly  and  pecu- 
liarly religious.  *  Whatsoever  ye  ask  in  my 
name,  believing.'  *  Giving  thanks  unto  God 
and  the  Father  by  him.'  It  is  only  through 
his  instruction,  authority,  and  encouragement, 
that  they  know  their  privilege  of  filial  worship, 
and  are  enabled  so  to  offer  it  that  they  may 
look  for  acceptance.  The  hope  of  pardon  on 
the  confession  of  sin  is  grounded  upon  what 
he  has  done,  suffered,  and  declared;  and 
the  confidence  with  which  the  penitent  seeks 
forgiveness  and  life,  is  owing  to  his  trust  in 
the  word  of  Jesus,  and  his  being  able  to  lean 
on  him  as  a  friend  and  advocate,  when  he 
casts  himself  a  suppliant  before  God.  Under- 
stand, then,  that  the  acceptable  prayer  is  that 
ivhich  is  made  in  the  name  of  the  great  In- 
tercessor:   and   let    your    heart    be    warm(ul 


PRAYER.  115 

and  imboldened  in  your  devotions  by  the  con- 
sciousness of  your  relation  to  him  *  whom  the 
Father  heareth  always.' 

I  will  add  but  two  further  remarlcs  before 
closing  this  topic.  First,  I  have  all  along 
assumed,  that  I  am  addressing  a  person  sin- 
cerely engaged  in  the  pursuit  of  religious 
attainments.  This  sincerity  of  pursuit  is  a 
fundamental  requisite,  without  which  all  ex- 
hortations, means,  assistance,  sacrifices,  will 
be  only  thrown  away.  If,  therefore,  after 
having  made  some  effort  after  a  spirit  of  de- 
votion, in  pursuance  of  the  course  recom- 
mended, you  find,  as  men  sometimes  do,  that 
you  derive  from  it  neither  improvement  nor 
satisfaction,  I  recommend  to  you  to  examine 
whether  you  are  really  in  earnest;  whether 
you  do,  actually  in  your  heart,  desire  reli- 
gious improvement;  whether,  in  short,  there 
DC  not  in  you  a  lurking  preference  for  your 
present  state  of  mind,  and  an  attachment  to 
some  passion,  taste,  or  pursuit,  incompatible 
with  a  zealous  devotedness  to  Christian  truth, 
and  a  suitable  attention  to  the  discipline 
which  it  demands.  Many  are,  no  doubt,  pre- 
vented   from    advancement    by    secret    bin- 


116      MEANS  OF  RELIGIOUS  IMPROVEMENT, 

(lerances  of  this  nature,  of  whose  operation 
iiiey  are  not  at  all  aware.  If,  upon  inquiry, 
you  cannot  discover  that  it  is  so  with  you, 
then  examine  strictly  the  methods  you  have 
pursued,  and  the  observances  you  have  prac- 
tised. You  will  probably  find  that  they  have 
been  in  some  particulars  injudiciously  se- 
lected, or  improperly  or  insufficiently  attend- 
ed; that  you  have  failed  in  a  resolute, 
steadfast,  systematic  adherence  to  your  own 
rules;  that  you  have  habitually  allowed 
yourself  in  something  wrong,  or  neglected 
something  right.  Look  after  your  mistake. 
When  you  shall  have  discovered  and  correct- 
ed it,  you  may  be  certain  of  securing  the  im- 
provement you  desire. 

Secondly,  take  heed  that  you  do  not  allow 
yourself  to  fancy,  that  an  observance  of 
these  or  similar  rules  constitutes  all  your  duty 
under  this  head.  Do  not  forget,  that  the 
devotion  which  Christianity  teaches  is  nothing 
less  than  perpetually  thinking,  feeling,  and 
acting,  as  becomes  a  child  of  God, — a  perpet- 
ual worship.  This  is  the  end  at  which  you 
are  to  aim ; — an  end,  however,  which  is 
not    to    be    attained    without    the     use    of 


PRAYER.  117 

means;  and  the  directions  in  the  preceding 
pages  are  designed  simply  to  point  out  some 
of  the  means.  Some  persons  do  not  need 
such  directions.  For  them  they  are  not 
designed.  But  there  are  others  to  whom  they 
must  be  welcome  and  wholesome.  Let  such 
use  them,  but  without  forgetting  that  they  are 
means  only.  Let  them  guard,  from  the  first 
and  always,  against  the  idea,  that  the  practice 
of  these  will  secure  the  great  object,  without 
any  further  exertion  or  sacrifice  ;  that  to  be 
devout  men,  they  have  only  to  observe  stated 
seasons,  and  perform  stated  acts.  There 
cannot  be  a  more  pernicious  error.  It  is  at 
variance  with  the  whole  nature  and  spirit  of 
Christianity.  God  is  to  be  served  by  the  en- 
tire life ;  by  its  actions  as  well  as  its  thoughts, 
its  duties  as  well  as  its  desires,  its  deeds  as 
well  as  its  feelings. 

The  religious  man  must  have  the  frame  of 
his  mmd  and  the  tenor  of  his  conduct  at  all 
times  religious ;  in  the  market  and  the  family 
no  less  than  in  the  closet  and  the  church.  In- 
deed, considering  how  much  more  of  life  is 
spent  abroad  in  action  and  trial  than  is  passed 
in   the  worship   and   contemplation  of  retire- 


118      MEANS  OF  RELIGIOUS  IMPROVEMENT. 

ment,  it  is  plainly  of  greater  consequence  to 
watch  and  labor  in  the  world  than  in  private. 
Besides  that  it  is  easier  to  be  religiously  dis- 
posed for  an  hour  a  day,  when  reading  the 
Bible  or  kneeling  at  the  altar,  than  it  is  to  be 
so  during  the  many  other  hours  which  are  full 
of  the  world's  temptations,  and  when  all  the 
irregular  passions  are  liable  to  be  excited. 
Remember,  then,  to  try  your  prayers  by  your 
life ;  you  may  know  how  sincere  they  are,  by 
their  agreement  or  disagreement  with  your 
habitual  sentiments  and  conduct.  Regulate 
your  life  by  your  prayers;  in  vain  do  you 
think  yourself  religious,  if  you  go  with  holy 
words  and  humble  confessions  to  the  Divine 
presence,  but  at  other  times  live  in  thought- 
lessness and  sin.  True  religion  is  a  sinHe 
thing.  Devout  exercises  form  a  part  of  its 
exhibition;  holy  living  forms  another  part. 
Unless  they  exist  together,  it  is  to  no  purpose 
that  they  exist  at  all.  To  separate  them  is  to 
destroy  the  religion.  To  this  consideration, 
then,  let  your  perpetual  and  vigilant  attention 
be  given ;  and  be  satisfied  with  your  hours  of 
devotion  only  when  they  exercise  a  sacred 
and  constant  influence  over  the  condition  of 


PREACHING  119 

your  mind  and  life,  and  have  made  them  holy 
to  the  Lord. 

IV.  Preaching. 

From  the  more  private  means  of  religious 
improvement,  we  pass  to  the  consideration  of 
those  which  are  in  their  nature  public. 

Preaching  is  a  divine  institution ;  and  its 
authority  and  wisdom  have  been  illustriously 
justified  in  the  success  which  has  attended  it  in 
every  age  of  the  church.  It  is  to  a  publica- 
tion from  the  lips  of  living  teachers,  that  the 
gospel  owes  its  spread  through  so  large  a  por- 
tion of  the  globe.  At  its  first  introduction, 
at  its  reformation,  and  in  its  present  diffusion, 
it  has  been  the  *  company  of  the  preachers ' 
that  has  arrested  attention  to  its  divine  truths, 
and  subdued  the  hearts  of  men  to  its  holy 
power.  And  it  always  must  be  the  case,  how- 
ever great  may  be  the  efficacy  of  those  more 
personal  instruments  of  which  we  have  spoken, 
that  the  pulpit  shall  be  the  main  engine  for 
the  incitement  and  instruction  of  the  individual 
mind,  and  the  maintenance  of  the  power  of  re- 
ligion in  the  Christian  world. 

Multitudes,  however,  habitually  attend  the 


120     MEANS  OP  RELIGIOUS  IMPROVEMENT. 

preaching  of  the  gospel,  with  little  profit,  and 
with  no  adequate  apprehension  of  its  purpose 
or  value.  Habit,  thoughtlessness,  inattention, 
worldliness,  cause  its  sublime  instructions  to 
be  unheeded,  and  render  its  powerful  appeals 
unimpressive.  It  may  have  been  so  with  you, 
m  times  past.  But  if  you  are  now  truly  awake 
to  the  necessity  of  studying  the  improvement 
of  your  character,  and  making  God's  will  the 
rule  of  your  life,  you  will  listen  eagerly  to  the 
preaching  of  his  truth,  and  drink  it  in  as  a 
thirsty  man  water.  I  say  nothing,  therefore, 
to  urge  the  duty  of  attendance  in  the  house  of 
prayer.  You  will  esteem  it  one  of  your  privi- 
leges, and  will  feel  that,  however  imperfectly 
the  word  may  be  dispensed,  it  is  yet  full  of  a 
divine  savor,  and  profitable  to  any  one  who 
seeks  his  soul's  good  rather  than  his  mind's 
entertainment. 

In  order  to  the  greatest  advantage  from  this 
duty,  it  is  well,  in  the  first  place,  to  give  heed 
to  the  manner  in  which  the  other  hours  of  the 
Sabbath  are  spent.  There  can  be  no  doubt 
that  one  considerable  cause  of  the  inefficacy 
of  preaching  is  to  be  found  in  the  circum- 
stance that  the  remamder  of  the  Sabbath  is 


PREACHING.  121 

passed  Ia  a  manner  little  likely  to  prepare  the 
mind  for  its  religious  services,  and  suited  to 
obliterate  the  impressions  received  from  them. 
The  sentiments  excited  in  holy  time,  instead 
of  being  cherished,  are  checked  and  smother- 
ed by  the  uncongenial  engagements  of  the  rest 
of  the  day ;  and  Sunday  becomes  at  length 
even  a  day  for  hardening  the  heart,  through 
this  habitual  resistance  of  the  most  solemn 
truths.  For,  when  exposed  to  their  frequent 
repetition,  if  it  do  not  yield  to  them,  it  must 
inevitably  become  callous  to  them.  This  evil 
you  are  to  guard  against,  by  making  the  whole 
occupation  of  the  day  harmonize  with  that 
portion  of  it  which  is  spent  in  public  worship. 
And  to  do  this  implies  no  fanatical  recluseness 
or  morose  sullenness.  It  implies  nothing  but 
the  endeavor  of  a  reasonable  man,  who  finds 
that  the  cares  of  the  six  days  tend  to  distract 
his  feelings  from  religion,  to  counteract  them 
on  the  day  set  apart  for  that  purpose.  It  is 
only  saying,  with  regard  to  all  worldly  occu- 
pations, what  Burke  said  of  politics  in  the 
pulpil ; — Six  days  are  full  of  them,  and  six 
days  are  enough ;  let  us  give  one  day  to  some- 
thing better. 

11 


122     MEANS  OF  RELIGIOUS  IMPROVEMENT. 

You  will  therefore  be  careful  so  to  spend 
your  morning  hours,  that  you  shall  enter  the 
sanctuary  with  a  prepared  mind, — already 
touched  with  a  sense  of  God,  and  tuned  to  his 
praise.  Your  reading  and  your  thoughts  will 
be  directed  to  this  purpose ;  and  instead  of 
cherishing  or  inviting  vain  thoughts  and  a 
light  state  of  feeling,  by  lounging  over  a  news- 
paper, or  a  novel,  or  by  conversation  on  the 
passing  events  of  the  day,  you  will  occupy 
yourself  on  such  subjects  as  shall  hallow  the 
temper  of  your  mind,  and  exclude  the  crowd 
of  impertinent  desires.  Then  you  will  be 
ready  to  join  feelingly  in  the  public  service  of 
your  Maker,  and  listen  profitably  to  the  exhor- 
tations of  the  pulpit. 

You  have  doubtless  observed  in  your  own 
case,  and  heard  it  remarked  by  others,  that 
the  same  discourse,  under  different  circum- 
stances, seems  like  a  very  different  thing ;  that 
what  at  one  time  is  listened  to  with  pleasure 
and  interest,  at  another  is  heard  with  indiffer- 
ence. To  what  can  this  be  owing,  but  to  the 
variation  in  the  hearer^s  state  of  mind  ?  The 
discourse  is  the  same  ;  but  it  addresses  itself 
to  a  soul  at  one  time  tuned  to  the  occasion 


PREACHING.  123 

and  the  subject,  and  at  another  tuned  to  some- 
thing else.  So  important  is  adaptation  ; — as 
might  be  illustrated  in  a  thousand  ways. 
Hence  you  will  study  to  carry  a  prepared 
mind  to  the  hearing  of  the  word,  that  you  may 
not  fail  of  receiving  the  utmost  edification. 
Otherwise  you  may  sit  under  the  most  powerful 
ministry,  and  hear  divine  truth  dispensed  with 
an  eloquence  worthy  of  angels,  and  yet  sit 
unmoved.  It  can  be  powerful  to  your  heart, 
it  can  effectually  promote  your  progress  in  the 
Christian  life,  only  through  your  own  prepara- 
tion to  receive  it,  and  in  proportion  to  that 
preparation. 

Let  me  also  caution  you  to  remember,  that 
there  is  good  and  important  matter  belonging 
to  every  subject  which  the  pulpit  may  treat ; 
and  it  is  very  unwise  (to  use  the  mildest 
expression)  to  turn  away  dissatisfied,  because 
a  sermon  does  not  happen  to  fall  in  with  the 
slate  of  your  feelings.  Hearers  are  often 
guilty  of  great  injustice  in  this  way.  They 
are  too  ready  to  measure  the  preacher's  fidelity 
by  the  degree  in  which  he  speaks  to  their  own 
immediate  experience.  They  are  earnestly 
engaged  in  particular  views,   feelings,  trains 


124      MEANS  OF  RELIGIOUS  IMPROV^EMENT. 

of  thought,  processes  of  experience,  which, 
filling  their  mind,  seem  to  them  all  in  all; 
and  if  the  preacher  does  not  touch  upon  these, 
they  condemn  him  as  dry,  cold,  and  jejune. 
But  they  should  consider,  that  there  are  other 
minds  to  be  suited  besides  their  own,  and  that 
what  is  so  ill  adapted  to  themselves  may  be 
precisely  what  is  needed  by  others;  nay, 
precisely  what  they  themselves  may  need  at 
another  time.  Instead  of  expressing  dissatis- 
faction, they  should  rejoice  that  every  one 
receives  in  turn  a  portion  adapted  to  him,  and 
endeavor  to  elicit  something  applicable  to 
themselves.  If  they  will  but  seek,  they  will 
often  find  a  seasonable  word  when  they 
least  expect  it.  Let  me  entreat  you  to 
make  this  your  habit.  If  you  do  not,  it  is 
plain  that  many  Sundays  will  be  lost  to  you, 
(for  you  cannot  have  your  own  case  always 
treated,)  and  you  will,  moreover,  become  a 
fastidious  and  querulous  hearer,  discontented 
with  yourself,  and  uncomfortable  to  others. 
But  if  you  resolutely  bring  your  mind  to  take 
an  interest  in  whatever  you  hear,  you  will 
always  find  cause  for  contentment  and  satis- 
faction, if  not  for  edification  and  delight. 


PREACHING.  125 

Few  things  are  more  hostile  to  such  attend- 
ance on  preaching  as  shall  promote  religious 
improvement,  than  the  habit  of  listening  to 
sermons  as  literary  or  rhetorical  efforts,  and 
for  the  gratification  of  a  literary  taste.  From 
the  very  nature  of  the  case,  it  must  result  in 
constant  dissatisfaction.  For  let  it  be  con- 
sidered how  few  of  all  the  authors  who  have 
published  books,  are  able  to  give  this  gratifica- 
tion ;  and  can  it,  then,  be  expected  of  every 
preacher?  How  small  a  proportion  of  the 
thousands  who  have  preached,  have  print&d 
their  sermons !  and  how  few  of  these  have  a 
place  among  the  eminent  names  of  literature ! 
Hence  it  is  impossible  that  every  preacher 
should,  every  Sunday,  satisfy  a  man  who  has 
formed  his  taste  on  printed  specimens  of 
excellence,  and  who  comes  to  gratify  it  at 
church.  It  is  inevitable  that  such  a  one 
should  be  disappointed  and  displeased,  far 
more  often  than  he  shall  be  tolerably  gratified. 
Those  who,  on  this  ground,  are  accustomed 
to  speak  harshly  of  ministers,  and  to  excite 
discontent  in  the  community,  would  do  well  to 
reflect  on  the  unreasonableness  of  the  requisi- 
tion, and  learn  that  they  injure  themselves  by 
11* 


126     MEANS  OF  RELIGIOUS  IMPROVEMENT. 

ooking  for  what  they  cannot  expect  to  find,  to 
the  neglect  of  that  substantial  good  which 
alone  is  intended  to  be  conveyed.  But  he 
who  thinks  only  of  improvement,  and  the  reli- 
gious exercise  of  his  mind,  will  always  find 
something  to  engage  and  satisfy  him.  Dis- 
tinguished talent  there  may  not  be,  nor 
original  thought,  nor  striking  images,  nor 
tasteful  composition,  nor  eloquent  declama- 
tion ;  but  Christian  truth,  old  and  familiar 
perhaps,  but  still  high  and  important,  there  al- 
ways will  be.  Dwelling  upon  this,  excited 
by  it  to  reflection,  occupied  in  studying  by  its 
light  his  own  character  and  prospects,  and  the 
perfections  and  purposes  of  God,  he  has  no 
lack  of  interesting  thought.  The  preacher 
becomes  but  a  secondary  object.  His  God, 
his  duty,  his  salvation, — these  are  the  topics 
on  which  his  mind  runs ;  and  these  he  can 
contemplate :  he  will  not  be  hindered  from 
contemplating  them,  whatever  may  be  the 
feebleness  or  deficiencies  of  him  who  ministers 
at  the  altar. 

Bacon  has  laid  down  a  rule  for  profitable 
reading,  which  ought  to  be  sacredly  applied  tc 
preaching,    by  those    who   would  listen  to  it 


PREACHING.  127 

profitably :  *  Read,  not  to  contradict  and 
confute,  nor  to  believe  and  take  for  granted, 
nor  to  find  talk  and  discourse,  but  to  weigh 
and  consider.'  What  you  hear  from  your 
minister,  *  weigh  and  consider  *  for  a  religious 
end  and  a  personal  application.  To  listen  as 
a  critic,  with  a  fastidious  nicety  about  diction, 
and  a  captious  sensibility  to  style,  is  a  sure 
method  to  defeat  what  should  be  the  first 
object  with  the  hearer,  as  it  is  the  great 
purpose  of  the  speaker.  For  which  reason,  it 
has  been  remarked,  we  are  not  to  be  surprised 
that  Paul,  with  all  his  energy  of  speech,  made 
so  few  converts,  and  gathered  no  church, 
among  the  Athenians  ;  the  sensitive  and  intel- 
lectual taste,  and  love  of  ingenious  fancies, 
which  distinguished  them,  formed  a  habit  of 
mind  peculiarly  fitted  to  destroy  the  capacity 
for  receiving  any  strong  and  profound  impres- 
sions. 

In  the  next  place,  if  you  think  that  when 
you  leave  the  house  of  God,  you  may  dis- 
charge from  your  mind  the  thoughts  and 
sentiments  there  excited ;  if  you  immediately 
join  in  frivolous  society  and  ordinary  conver- 
sation ;  if  you  occupy  your  time  in   making 


128      MEANS  OF  RELIGIOUS  IMPROVEMENT. 

visits  of  ceremony,  or  in  reading  the  Sunday 
newspaper  and  books  of  amusement,  you  can 
derive  little  advantage  from  the  service  in 
which  you  have  engaged.  However  serious 
may  have  been  your  attendance,  however 
earnest  the  wish  for  improvement,  you  are 
taking  the  surest  method  to  render  it  all 
vain.  The  word  spoken  must  be  treasured 
up,  the  counsels  of  wisdom  must  be  made  to 
abide  in  the  heart,  the  instructions  and 
warnings  of  Heaven  must  be  fixed  by  reflec- 
tion and  thought,  or  the  impressions  you  have 
received  will  be  transitory,  and  the  good 
purposes  which  spring  up  within  you  will  pass 
away  like  the  early  dew.  If  the  preacher 
have  presented  arguments  for  the  truth  of 
Christianity,  or  for  the  support  of  any  of  its 
great  doctrines,  of  what  use  has  this  been  to 
you,  if  you  shall  know  nothing  about  them 
to-morrow?  And  how  can  you  hope  to  re- 
member what  is  so  difficult  to  be  retained,  if 
you  take  no  pains  to  refresh  your  mind  with 
it  by  immediate  retirement  and  contempla- 
tion? If  he  have  been  urging  you  to  the 
study  of  your  own  heart,  and  pointing  out  the 
sources  of  self-deception,'  and  the  means  of 


preservation  against  the  Nj^T^^luSli^  easily  "^  ^ 
beset  you,  and  you  have  b€efei;Me«^  JJddv^ 
humbled,  and  made  to  resolve  on  'greater 
watchfulness;  of  what  avail  will  this  be,  if 
you  immediately  abandon  yourself  to  frivolous 
topics  of  thought?  and  how  are  you  any  the 
better  prepared  for  the  temptations  and  trials 
of  to-morrow,  if  you  thus  drive  from  your 
mind  those  views  which  were  to  strengthen 
you?  Or,  if  he  have  presented  to  you  the 
elevating  truths  respecting  God,  and  heaven, 
and  man's  prospects  of  glory,  and  thus  raised 
in  your  spirit  a  glow  of  divine  love,  and  a 
sense  of  your  exalted  destiny,  and  you  at  once 
turn  from  it  all  to  employments  and  thoughts 
which  are  wholly  of  earth  ;  then  is  not  that 
holy  excitement  worse  than  lost?  have  you 
not  done  something  to  harden  your  heart,  and 
render  it  less  capable  of  receiving  the  same 
impression  again  ?  For  you  have  resisted  its 
motions,  and  quenched  its  fire,  by  calling  it 
back  to  this  lower  world  when  it  was  just  be- 
ginning to  delight  itself  in  heaven. 

Depend  upon  it,  that  the  mere  attendance 
upon  public  worship  is  very  insufficient,  with- 
out some  care  to  fix  its  impressions  afl:erward, 

M 


130     MEANS  OF  RELIGIOUS  IMPROVEMENT. 

and  to* recall  and  strengthen  what  you  have 
heard  and  enjoyed.  It  is  wise,  therefore,  to 
go  back  from  church  to  retirement,  there  to 
think  over  the  truths  that  you  have  heard, 
refresh  the  feelings  that  you  have  indulged, 
apply  to  your  conscience  the  doctrine  deliver- 
ed, and  supplicate  the  divine  blessing.  By 
habitually  doing  this,  you  will  in  time  become 
possessed  of  a  large  fund  of  religious  informa- 
tion and  moral  truth,  which  otherwise  might 
have  been  lost  to  you ;  and  instead  of  being 
in  the  condition  of  those,  who  cannot  per- 
ceive that  the  pulpit  has  ever  taught  them  any 
thing,  you  will  find  it  a  most  efficient  and  per- 
suasive instructer. 

It  is  a  custom,  with  some  persons,  to  make 
a  record  of  the  discourses  which  they  have 
heard,  entering  in  a  book  the  texts  and 
subjects,  together  with  a  brief  sketch  of  the 
train  of  remark.  This  is  a  very  commenda- 
ble and  useful  custom,  provided  it  be  not  al- 
lowed to  take  off  one's  thoughts  from  the 
duty  of  self-application,  and  do  not  become  a 
mere  effort  of  memory  and  trial  of  skill.  If 
this  be  avoided,  the  practice  will  be  found 
useful    in   many  respects.     The  exercise  of 


PREACHING.  131 

writing  greatly  assists  that  of  thinking,  and 
Jiscovers  to  one  whether  his  ideas  are  dis- 
tinct and  clear.  It  enables  and  compels  him 
to  look  closely  at  the  subject,  so  that  he 
cannot  dismiss  it  with  the  cursory  and 
impatient  examination  which  he  might  be 
otherwise  tempted  to  give  it.  It  enables  him 
afterwards  to  read,  with  distinctness,  the 
impressions  which  he  received,  and  to  revive 
the  purposes  which  he  formed  in  consequence 
of  them.  His  record  becomes  a  spiritual 
monitor,  reminding  him,  whenever  he  consults 
it,  of  the  lessons  he  has  learned,  and  the 
expostulations  he  has  heard ;  and  prompting 
him  to  a  more  definite  comparison  of  his 
actual  attainments  with  the  standard  which 
has  been  placed  before  him.  The  advan- 
tages, which  may  thus  be  derived  from  it,  will 
be  far  more  than  a  compensation  for  all  the 
trouble  attending  it. 

But,  whether  you  make  such  memoranda  or 
not,  the  practice  of  recalling  to  mind  the 
instructions  and  reflections  of  God's  house, 
if  systematically  pursued,  will  save  you  from 
the  pain  of  making  the  complaint  which  we 
hear  from  so  many    that  they  cannot  remem- 


132      MEANS  OF  RELIGIOUS  IMPROVEMENT. 

ber  what  they  have  heard,  oftentimes  not  even 
the  text ;  and  this,  too,  from  persons  who  can 
repeat  all  the  particulars  of  a  long  story  to 
which  they  have  listened,  or  a  longer  con- 
versation in  which  they  have  taken  part. 
Why  this  difference  ?  Partly  because  they 
attended  with  greater  interest  to  the  story  and 
the  conversation,  partly  because  these  are 
more  easily  remembered  than  a  formal  dis- 
course, but  principally  because  these  are 
matters  that  they  are  accustomed  to  recall  to 
mind  and  repeat,  which  they  have  not  been 
accustomed  to  do  in  regard  to  sermons.  The 
want  of  practice  is  the  principal  difficulty. 
Make  it  an  object  always  to  remember,  and 
be  in  the  habit  of  going  over  again  in  your 
mind,  the  principal  topics,  and  you  will  not  be 
troubled  with  want  of  memory. 

I  should  do  wrong,  however,  if  I  did  not 
here  speak  a  word  of  comfort  to  those  humble 
and  sincere  Christians,  whose  advantages  in 
early  life  were  not  such  as  to  enable  them 
to  form  any  habits  of  intellectual  exertion, 
and  who  are,  in  consequence,  subject  to  a 
weakness  of  memory  which  they  have  strug- 
gled against  in  vain,  and  which  is  a  source 


PREACHIN«  133 

of  constant  unhappiness  to  them.  Every 
thing  they  hear  from  the  pulpit  slips  from 
their  minds,  even  if  it  have  highly  moved  and 
delighted  them  ;  and  they  fear  that  this  is  a 
sign  of  unprofitableness  and  sin.  To  such  it 
may  be  well  to  recommend  the  reply  of  John 
Newton  to  one  who  came  to  him  sorrowing 
with  the  same  complaint.  You  forget,  said 
he,  what  was  preached  to  you.  So,  too,  you 
forget  upon  what  food  you  dined  a  week  or  a 
month  ago ;  yet  you  are  none  the  less  sure 
that  you  received  nourishment  from  it :  and 
no  doubt,  also,  that  your  spiritual  food  nour- 
ished you,  though  you  have  forgotten  in  what 
it  consisted.  So  long  as  you  received  it  with 
pleasure  and  a  healthy  digestion,  and  it  has 
kept  you  a  living  and  growing  soul,  it  can 
be  of  no  consequence  whether  you  can  partic- 
ularly remember  it  or  not. 

Finally,  preaching,  however  ineffectual  it 
may  often  prove,  is  one  of  the  chief  means  of 
grace,  and  is  capable  of  being  made,  by  every 
mdividual,  a  principal  agent  in  his  religious 
advancement.  Let  it  be  so  to  you.  It  will 
be  so  if  you  attend  on  it  in  a  right  spirit,  and 
faithfully  strive  to  gain  nourishment  from  it. 
12 


184      MEANS  OF  RELIGIOUS  IMPROVEMENT. 

Do  not  let  it  be  your  shame  and  guilt,  that 
you  sit  year  after  year  within  hearing  of  the 
preacher's  voice,  and  yet  are  none  the  better. 
Do  not  suffer  it  to  be  with  yourself,  as  it  is 
with  many,  that  preaching  grows  less  inter- 
esting as  they  advance.  This,  it  is  true,  is 
in  part  owing  to  the  nature  of  the  mind, 
which  finds  a  delight  in  what  is  new  and 
fresh^  which  it  does  not  perceive  in  what  has 
been  long  familiar.  There  is  a  charm  in 
listening  to  the  word  preached,  when  the 
soul  is  first  awakened  to  an  interest  in  the 
concerns  of  its  salvation,  and  devours  every 
sentence  as  a  hungry  man  his  food,  which 
cannot  be  fully  retained  in  cooler  and  ma- 
turer  years.  But  if  the  charm  be  entirely 
gone,  if  the  relish  be  altogether  lost,  it  must 
be  through  your  own  fault.  It  must  be 
because  you  have  not  watched  over  the  tastes 
and  susceptibility  of  your  mind,  but  have, 
through  neglect,  suffered  it  to  become  hard- 
ened. Be  but  faithful  to  yourself,  cherish 
your  tenderness  of  spirit,  take  pains  to  keep 
alive  the  ardor  and  interest  of  your  younger 
days,  and  you  will  find  that  your  feelings  will 
not  become  wholly  dead  to  the  voice  of  the 


PREACHING.  135 

preacher,  nor  will  time  and  age  be  able  to  rob 
you  of  this  source  of  your  enjoyment.  The 
ancient  philosopher,  on  whom  has  been  well 
bestowed  the  title  of  '  Rome's  least  mortal 
mind,'  in  writing  beautifully  of  old  age,  tells 
us,  that  the  great  reason  why  the  faculties  of 
men  are  impaired  in  the  declining  years  of  a 
long  life,  is,  that  they  cease  to  use  and  exer- 
cise them  ;  and  that  any  man,  by  continuing 
vigorously  to  exert  them  as  in  earlier  life, 
may  hope  to  retain  them  to  the  last,  in  some- 
thing of  their  original  power.  The  remark 
may  be  applied  to  the  old  age  of  the  Chris- 
tian. By  faithfully  watching  over  and  exer- 
cising his  feelings  and  emotions,  he  may 
retain  them  in  some  good  degree  of  liveliness 
and  vigor  to  the  latest  period.  And  although 
the  zest  with  which  he  hung  on  the  minis- 
tration of  the  word,  in  the  first  ardor  of  his 
youthful  faith,  may  be  gone,  he  will  maintain 
a  sober  interest,  and  find  a  tranquil  delight, 
suited  to  the  serenity  of  his  fading  days,  and 
to  the  peacefulness  of  the  expectation  with 
which  he  waits  the  summons  to  go  home. 


136     MEANS  OF  RELIGIOUS  IMPROVEMENT. 

V.  The  Lord's  Supper. 

This  interesting  rite  is  the  last  in  the  series 
of  Christian  means  which  I  shall  mention. 
It  is  that  to  which  the  young  disciple  is 
accustomed  to  look  forward  with  intense  feel- 
ing, and  the  arrival  at  which  constitutes  an 
era  in  his  progress  fondly  expected  and 
fondly  remembered.  Sometimes  it  appears 
to  be  regarded  too  much  as  the  limit  of 
improvement,  the  goal  of  the  course,  the  prize 
of  the  victory,  after  which  the  believer  is  to 
sit  down  and  enjoy  in  security  the  attainments 
he  has  made,  exempt  from  the  necessity  of 
further  watchfulness  and  combat.  It  is 
owing,  in  no  small  degree,  to  the  prevalence 
of  this  opinion,  that  so  many  make  no  actual 
or  perceptible  progress  after  their  arrival  at 
the  Lord's  table.  They  esteem  it  less  as  the 
means  and  incitement  of  greater  improvement, 
than  as  the  end  and  completion  of  the  work 
they  had  undertaken ;  not  so  much  a  refresh- 
ment to  their  weakness  in  the  trying  journey 
of  duty,  as  the  festival  which  rewards  its 
termination.  Be  on  your  guard  against  this 
erroneous  feeling.  Habitually  rememberj  that 
your   vigilance  and  labor  are  to  end   only  at 


THE    LORD^S    SUPPER.  137 

the  grave ;  that  the  fight  lasts  as  long  as  life ; 
that  the  crown  of  the  victor  is  Maid  up  in 
heaven ; '  and  that  vi^hatever  indulgences  may 
be  granted  here,  they  are  but  as  encour- 
agements to  your  perseverance  and  strength- 
eners  to  your  weakness,  designed  to  cheer 
and  help  you  on  your  way;  not  seasons  of 
repose  and  enjoyment,  but  of  recollection  and 
preparation ; — so  that  they,  in  fact,  form  a  part 
of  that  system  of  discipline,  by  which  every 
thing  below  is  made  to  try  and  prove  the 
character  of  man. 

In  this  light  you  will  view  the  peculiar 
ordinance  of  our  faith, — as  a  privilege  and 
indulgence,  but  also  as  a  pledge  and  incite-, 
ment  to  activity  in  duty.  From  the  moment 
that  it  has  been  your  purpose  to  become  a 
follower  of  Christ,  you  have  looked  forward 
to  this  holy  feast  as  something  which  it  would 
make  you  but  too  blest  to  be  permitted  to 
partake.  While  occupied  with  other  means 
of  improvement,  you  have  still  felt  that  there 
was  one  thing  lacking,  and  have  perhaps 
been  stimulated  to  a  more  earnest  diligence 
in  the  use  of  them,  by  the  reflection  that  they 
would  prepare  you  for  this  ultimate  and 
12*  V 


138      MEANS  OF  RELIGIOUS  IMPROVEMENT. 

superior  enjoyment.  Such  is  the  very  com- 
mon experience  of  the  growing  Christian  ; 
and  it  is  my  wish  to  show  you  how  that  may 
be  rendered  a  blessing  in  the  enjoyment, 
which  has  been  so  eagerly  desired  in  the 
anticipation. 

Settle  it  distinctly  in  your  mind,  that  this 
ordinance,  so  far  as  relates  to  your  concern  in 
it,  has  a  twofold  purpose;  first,  to  express 
and  manifest  your  faith  in  Christ,  and  your 
allegiance  and  attachment  to  him ;  secondly; 
to  aid  and  strengthen  you  in  a  faithful 
adherence  to  his  religion.  That  is  to  say,  in 
other  words,  by  your  attendance  at  the  Lord's 
table,  you  declare  yourself  to  be,  from  principle 
and  affection,  a  Christian;  and  you  seek  to 
revive  and  confirm  the  sentiments,  purposes, 
and  habits,  which  belong  to  that  character. 
These  are  the  two  objects  which  the  ordi- 
nance is  intended  to  accomplish,  and  which 
you  are  to  have  constantly  in  view. 

By  considering  the  first  of  these,  you  will 
be  enabled  to  decide  how  soon,  and  at  what 
period,  you  ought  to  offer  yourself  for  this 
celebration.  Can  you  say,  that  you  are  in 
principle   and    affection    a    follower   of  Jesus 


THE    lord's    supper.  181) 

Christ  ?  This  is  the  question  you  are  to  put 
to  yourself;  not  whether  you  have  been  such 
for  a  long  time;  not  how  great  attainments 
you  have  made ; — but  are  you  such  at  heart, 
and  are  you  resolved  perseveringly  to  main- 
tain this  character?  Look  at  this  ques- 
tion. Ponder  its  meaning.  Put  it  to  your- 
self faithfully.  Do  nothing  with  haste  or 
rashness,  but  proceed  calmly  and  deliberate- 
ly. Then,  if  you  can  conscientiously  reply 
in  the  affirmative,  if  you  have  already  showed 
so  much  constancy  in  your  efforts,  that  you 
may  rationally  hope  to  persevere,  you  may 
make  your  profession  before  men,  and  take 
the  promised  blessing.  Hasty  minds  have 
sometimes  rushed  forward  too  soon,  and  only 
exposed  their  own  instability,  and  brought  dis- 
honor on  their  calling.  Be  not,  therefore,  has- 
ty. But  timid  men  have  sometimes  hesitated 
too  long ;  have  delayed  till  their  ardor  cooled, 
till  they  fancied  they  could  stand  and  flourish 
without  any  further  help,  till  death  or  age  over- 
took them,  and  they  were  called  to  meet  their 
Lord  without  having  confessed  him  before  men. 
Beware,  therefore,  that  you  delay  not  too  long. 
To  deliberate  whether  we  shall  observe  a  com- 


140      MEANS  OP  RELIGIOUS  IMPROVEMENT. 

mandment,  after  our  minds  are  impressed 
with  a  sense  of  the  duty  of  doing  so,  is  to 
break  it.  To  postpone  our  acceptance  of  a 
privilege,  when  we  feel  that  it  is  such,  and 
know  that  it  is  offered  to  ourselves,  is  to  re- 
fuse it,  and  to  forego  its  benefits.  He  who 
believes,  and  is  resolved  to  live  and  die  in  his 
belief,  has  a  right  to  this  ordinance ;  he  is 
under  his  Master's  orders  to  attend  it;  and 
he  should  reflect,  that  obedience,  to  be  ac- 
ceptable, should  be  prompt. 

As  soon,  therefore,  as  your  attention  to  re- 
ligious things  has  sufficiently  prepared  and 
settled  your  mind,  you  will  solemnly  acknowl- 
edge it  by  this  outward  testimonial  of  faith. 
So  far  the  ordinance  looks  to  the  past.  It 
also  looks  to  the  future ;  and  you  will,  sec- 
ondly, as  I  said,  use  it  as  a  salutary  means  of 
religious  growth,  appointed  to  this  end,  and 
singularly  suited  to  accomplish  it.  You  will 
regard  it,  and  attend  it,  as  one  of  the  appropri- 
ate instruments  by  which  you  are  to  keep 
alive,  and  carry  on  to  perfection,  that  principle 
of  spiritual  life,  which  has  had  birth  within 
you,  and  which  has  made  a  certain  progress 
toward  maturity. 


THE    lord's    supper.  141 

It  is  a  means  singularly  fitted  to  accomplish 
this  end,  because  it  is  an  ordinance  at  once 
so  affecting  and  so  comprehensive  : — affecting, 
by  bringing  directly  before  us,  in  one  collect- 
ed view,  the  circumstances  under  which  it 
was  instituted,  and  the  purposes  of  Heaven 
with  which  it  is  connected  ; — the  trials  and 
sufferings  of  the  Son  of  man,  the  meekness 
and  sublimity  of  his  submission,  the  tender- 
ness and  pathos  of  his  last  conversation  and 
prayers,  the  desertion  in  which  he  was  left  by 
his  disciples,  the  insults  to  which  he  was  ex- 
posed from  his  enemies,  the  torture  in  which 
he  died,  submissive  and  forgiving;  and  all 
this,  that  he  might  seal  the  truth  which  he  had 
taught,  and  provide  salvation  for  miserable 
men.  It  is  true  that  all  this  is  familiar  to  the 
mind,  and  often  brought  before  it  in  other  act^ 
of  worship.  But  here  it  forms  the  express 
subject  of  contemplation  and  prayer.  Here  it 
is  set  before  us  more  evidently  and  vividly  by 
the  circumstances,  the  forms,  the  apparatus  of 
the  occasion.  It  is  made  the  special  object 
of  regard,  and  therefore  is  suited ,  in  a  pecu- 
liar manner,  to  affect  us. 

It  has  another  advantage.     It  is  as  compre- 


142      MEANS  OF  RELIGIOUS  IMPROVEMENT. 

heiisive  as  it  is  affecting.  In  its  primitive  in- 
tention, in  its  simple  purpose,  it  is,  as  it  was 
designated  by  our  Lord  himself,  a  commemo- 
ration of  him  :  *  This  do  in  remembrance  of 
me.'  And  what  is  it  to  remember  Jesus, 
rightly  and  effectually,  but  to  call  to  mind  all 
that  he  was,  and  did,  and  suffered,  in  his 
own  person ;  and  all  the  blessings,  advantages, 
and  hopes,  which  have  resulted  to  us,  and 
shall  forever  result,  from  his  ministry  and 
death  ?  These  are  all  connected  together  by 
one  close  and  indissoluble  chain.  They  are 
united,  in  inseparable  union,  with  his  name 
and  memory.  When  we  reflect  on  our  Mas- 
ter, our  minds  cannot  pause  till  they  have 
gone  over  all  his  example  in  life  and  death, 
have  recalled  his  character  and  instructions, 
have  pondered  on  the  excellence  and  beauty 
of  his  truths,  the  glory  of  his  promises,  the 
bliss  of  his  inheritance.  Thence  they  will  pass 
on  to  survey  the  effects  which  he  has  ali-eady 
produced  on  the  condition  and  character  of  the 
world,  to  observe  the  contrast  of  our  present 
enviable  lot  with  what  it  would  have  been  if 
he  had  not  established  his  reign  among  men, 
and  to  contemplate  the  spreading  prospects  of 


THE  lord's  supper.  143 

human  felicity  in  the  wider  extension  of  his 
kingdom ; — the  removal  of  error,  corruption, 
ignorance,  and  sin,  and  the  establishment  of 
universal  truth,  righteousness,  knowledge,  and 
peace.  Thence  they  will  pass  on  to  a  future 
world  :  to  the  unseen  and  unimaginable  joys 
of  a  life  in  which  purity,  love,  and  happiness, 
shall  be  infinite  in  measure,  and  infinite  in 
duration,  and  where  man,  made  the  compan- 
ion of  angels,  freed  from  sin  and  from  suffer- 
ing, shall  dwell  in  the  light  of  God's  presence 
without  end.  We  shall  recollect,  that  for  all 
our  hope  of  acceptance  to  that  world,  and  of 
pardon  for  the  sins  which  have  made  us  un- 
worthy of  it ;  for  all  those  gifts  of  light  and 
strength  which  shall  prepare  us  for  it ;  for  all 
the  tranquillity,  consolation,  and  support, 
which,  in  weakness,  sorrow,  and  death,  the 
knowledge  of  our  immortality  imparts, — for 
these  we  are  indebted  to  Jesus  Christ , 
without  whom  we  should  still  have  remained 
ignorant  on  this  first  of  subjects,  and  uncon- 
soled  in  the  severest  trials.  So  that,  in  one 
word,  there  is  no  topic  of  religion,  none  of 
thanksgiving  or  prayer,  none  of  penitence, 
gratitude    or   hope,   none   of    present   or    of 


144      MEANS  OF  RELIGIOUS  IMPROVEMENT 

future  felicity  for  ourselves  or  for  others, 
which  is  not  called  up  to  the  mind  by  the 
faithful  use  of  this  simple  but  expressive 
service.  As  the  believer  sits  at  his  Master's 
table,  he  seems  to  himself  to  be  sitting  in  his 
presence ;  together  with  his  image,  every 
blessing  of  his  faith  and  hope  rises  brightly  to 
view;  and  his  heart  burns  within  him,  as  he 
contemplates  the  grace  with  which  his 
unworthy  spirit  has  been  visited,  and  realizes 
the  hope  that  he  shall  partake  of  the  glories 
which  his  Lord  revealed.  As  he  looks  unto 
him,  *  the  Author  and  Finisher  of  our  faith, 
who,  for  the  joy  set  before  him,  endured  the 
cross,  despising  the  shame,'  he  grows  strong 
to  do  and  endure  likewise  ;  animated  by  the 
hope  set  before  him  of  entering  into  the  joy  to 
which  his  crucified  Master  has  ascended. 

Is  it  not,  then,  evident,  that  you  have  here  a 
means  of  singular  power,  to  keep  the  atten- 
tion awake  and  the  heart  right ;  and  that  your 
spirit  can  hardly  slumber,  if  you  faithfully 
open  it  to  the  influences  of  this  observance  1 
Remember,  however,  that  itr  value  will  de- 
pend on  yourself,  and  the  manner  in  which 
you  engage  in  it.     It  has  no  mystical  charm, 


THE  lord's  supper.  145 

no  secret  and  magic  power,  to  bless  you 
against  your  will.  Every  thing  depends  on 
your  own  sincerity  and  devotion.  Earnestly 
desire,  and  pray,  and  endeavor  that  it  may 
do  you  good,  and  it  will  do  you  good.  Go  to 
it  heedless,  thoughtless,  and  unprepared,  and 
it  will  prove  to  you  an  idle  and  inefficient 
ceremony.  The  great  cause  why  so  many 
derive  no  improvement  from  the  repeated  per- 
formance of  the  duty,  is,  that  they  attend  it 
with  inconsideration  and  coldness,  and  with 
little  purpose  or  desire  of  being  affected  by  it. 
Let  your  attendance  be  in  a  different  state 
of  mind.  Engage  resolutely  in  the  suitable 
meditations ;  examine  yourself  before  and 
after ;  come  to  the  celebration  with  a  temper 
prepared  for  worship,  and  leave  it  with  one 
prepared  for  duty. 

There  is  a  peculiar  feature  in  the  mode 
of  administering  this  ordinance,  distinguish- 
ing it  from  all  other  acts  of  social  worship, 
to  which  it  may  be  well  to  advert.  I  refer  to 
the  pauses  during  its  administration,  when 
each  worshipper  is  lefl  to  himself,  to  follow 
his  own  reflections,  and  make  his  own  pray- 
ers There  are  thus  united  in  the  occasion 
13 


146     MEANS  OF  RELIGIOUS  IMPROVEMENT. 

some  of  the  advantages  both  of  social  and 
of  private  devotion.  When  you  have  been 
excited  by  the  voice  of  the  minister  and  of 
general  prayer,  you  are  permitted  to  retire, 
without  interference,  into  your  own  heart,  to 
repeat  the  petitions  and  confessions  with  a 
more  close  reference  to  your  own  case,  and  to 
make  yourself  certain  that  you  understand 
and  feel  the  service  in  which  you  are  engaged. 
You  may  find  a  great  advantage  in  these  si- 
lent intervals.  In  all  other  instances  of  social 
worship,  your  attention  is  required,  without 
ceasing,  to  some  external  process ;  and  you 
pass  on  from  one  part  of  the  service  to 
another,  with  little  opportunity  to  reflect,  as 
you  proceed,  or  to  pursue  the  suggestions 
which  are  made,  in  the  manner  that  your  own 
peculiar  condition  may  require.  But  in  this, 
the  leisure  is  given  for  thoroughly  applying 
to  your  own  personal  state  all  that  has  met 
your  ear,  and  for  pouring  out  freely  the  devo- 
tional feeling  which  has  been  excited.  And  if 
there  be  any  thing  favorable  to  the  soul,  as 
multitudes  of  devout  persons  have  insisted,  in 
occasions  for  contemplative  worship  in  the 
presence  of  other  men,  then,  in  this  respect,  the 


THE  lord's  supper.  147 

Lord's  supper  may  claim  a  superiority  over 
every  other  season  of  social  devotion. 

Many  persons,  I  am  aware,  find  it  difficult 
so  to  control  their  minds  as  to  render  these 
silent  moments  profitable.  But  to  such  per- 
sons the  very  difficulty  becomes  a  usefiil  disci- 
pline, and  the  occasion  should  be  valued  for 
the  sake  of  it.  To  aid  them  in  the  use  of  it, 
and  to  prevent  its  running  to  waste  in  misera- 
ble listlessness  and  idle  rovings  of  the  mind, 
it  might  be  well  that  they  should  have  with 
them  some  suitable  little  book  of  meduations 
and  reflections,  which  they  may  quietly  consult 
in  their  seats  as  guides  to  thought  and  devo- 
tion. 

In  a  word,  prepare  your  mind  beforehand, 
be  faithful  during  the  celebration,  review  it 
when  it  is  past ;  and  you  will  never  have  rea- 
son to  complain  of  its  inefficacy  as  a  means 
of  religious  improvement.  You  may  not  enjoy 
high  and  mystical  raptures ;  you  may  be  some- 
times overtaken  with  languor  and  coldness; 
but  as  long  as,  in  smcerity,  and  from  motives 
of  duty,  you  present  yourself  in  this  way  be- 
fore the  Lord,  you  will  find  that  there  is  re- 
freshment   and    encouragement    in    the    act. 


J  48     MEANS  OP  RELIGIOUS  IMPROVEMENT. 

You  will  have  in  it  satisfaction,  if  not  ecstasy ; 
and  will  never  doubt  that  something  of  the 
steadfastness  of  your  principle,  and  of  the 
vigor  of  your  hope,  is  owing  to  this  affectionate 
application  of  the  life,  example  and  sacrifice 
of  the  Saviour,  in  the  way  of  his  appoint- 
ment 


THE    DISCIPLINE    OF    LIFE.  149 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE    RELIGIOUS   DISCIPLINE    OF   LIFE. 

Next  to  the  means  to  be  employed  m  the 
promotion  of  personal  religion,  we  must  at- 
tend to  the  oversight  and  direction  of  the 
character  in  general.  The  means  of  which 
we  have  taken  notice,  consist  of  a  series  of 
special  and  stated  exercises,  whose  object  is 
to  prepare  us  for  the  right  conduct  of  actual 
life ;  and  they  may  be  compared  to  the  daily 
drill  of  the  soldier,  by  which  he  is  made 
ready  for  the  field.  Watchfulness  and  self- 
discipline  belong  to  all  times  and  occasions, 
"and  may  be  compared  to  the  actual  use  which 
the  soldier  makes  of  his  preparation  in  the 
camp  and  the  field.  The  Christian  is  en- 
gaged occasionally  in  prayer,  meditation, 
study,  and  the  communion ;  he  must  watch 
and  govern  himself  always.  To  the  former 
duties  he  devotes  certain  appropriate  seasons ; 
the  latter  belong  to  every  season  and  all  hours. 
The  former  constitute  his  preparation  for  the 
13* 


150  THE    DISCIPLINE    OF    LIFE. 

Christian  life;  the  latter  constitute  its  pervad 
ing  spirit.  No  punctuality  or  fidelity  in  the 
former  proves  a  man  to  be  religious  without 
the  latter.  And  therefore,  having  stated  the 
manner  in  which  these  means  are  to  be  used, 
it  is  necessary  for  us  to  go  on  and  show  how 
they  are  to  affect  the  whole  conduct  of  life,  and 
make  it  an  exercise  of  perpetual  self-discipline. 
Why  you  are  to  be  always  watchful  over 
yourself,  is  easily  perceived.  In  this  world 
of  sensible  objects  and  temporal  pursuits,  you 
are  constantly  exposed  to  have  your  thoughts 
absorbed  by  surrounding  things,  and  with- 
drawn from  the  spiritual  objects  to  which 
they  should  be  primarily  attached.  You  are 
incited  to  forget  them,  to  slight  them,  to 
counteract  them.  The  engagements,  the 
anxiety,  hurry,  and  pleasures  of  life,  thrust 
them  from  your  thoughts;  and  desires,  pro- 
pensities, passions,  are  excited  quite  inconsist- 
ent with  the  calm  and  heavenward  affections 
of  Christ.  All  these  tendencies  in  your  situa- 
tion are  to  be  resisted.  You  are  to  be  ever  on 
the  alert,  that  they  may  not  lead  you  into  any 
course  of  thought  or  of  action  at  variance 
with  the  principles  to  which  you  are  pledged 


THE    DISCIPLINE    OF    LIFE.  151 

as  a  believer  in  Jesus  Christ,  and  which  form 
your  delight  in  your  hours  of  devotional  enjoy- 
ment. Such  inconsistency  may  be  sometimes 
witnessed.  But  what  can  be  more  melan- 
choly than  to  see  a  rational  being,  deeply 
convinced  of  the  truths  of  religion,  in  his 
sober  hours  of  thought  dwelling  on  them  with 
fond  and  delighted  contemplation,  excited  by 
them  to  a  devout  ardor  of  communion  with 
God,  and  sometimes  to  a  glow  of  holy  rapture 
which  seems  to  belong  to  a  superior  nature ; — 
and  then  sinking  into  worldliness,  governing 
himself  in  ordinary  life  by  selfish  maxims  of 
temporal  interest,  obeying  the  passions  and 
propensities  of  his  animal  being,  and,  in  a 
word,  living  precisely  as  he  would  do,  did  he 
believe  that  there  is  nothing  higher  or  better 
than  this  poor  life  ?  I  ask,  what  can  be  more 
sad  or  pitiable  than  such  a  spectacle  ?  Let  it 
be  your  earnest  care  to  guard  against  so  de- 
plorable an  inconsistency.  Now,  while  your 
mind  is  warm  with  its  early  interest  in  divine 
things, — now,  while  they  press  upon  you  in 
all  their  freshness, — now,  take  heed  that  you 
do  not  concentrate  that  interest,  and  use  all 
its  strength,  in  the  luxury  of  devout  musing, 


152  THE    DISCIPLINE    OF    LIFE. 

or  the  excitements  of  study  and  devotion  ;  but 
carry  it  into  your  whole  life ;  let  it  be  always 
present  to  you  in  all  you  do,  in  all  you  say; 
let  it  form  your  habitual  state  of  feeling,  your 
customary  frame  of  mind  and  temper.  Make 
it  your  constant  study  that  nothing  shall  be 
inconsistent  with  it,  but  every  thing  partake 
of  its  power.  This  is  the  watchfulness  in 
which  you  must  live.  This  is  the  purpose 
for  which  you  must  exercise  over  yourself 
an  unremitting  and  ever-wakeful  discipline; 
seeing  to  it,  like  some  magistrate  over  a  city, 
or  some  commander  over  an  army,  that  all 
your  thoughts,  dispositions,  words  and  actions 
be  subject  to  the  law  of  God,  and  the  princi- 
ples of  the  Christian  faith. 

Thus  it  is  plain,  that  your  chief  business, 
as  well  as  your  great  trial,  in  forming  a 
Christian  character,  lies  in  the  ordinary  tenor 
of  life.  The  world  is  the  theatre  on  which 
you  are  to  prove  yourself  a  Christian.  It  is 
/  in  the  occurrences  of  every  day,  in  the  rela- 
'  lions  of  every  hour,  in  your  affairs,  in  your 
family,  in  your  conversation  with  those  around 
you,  in  your  treatment  of  them,  and  your 
reception   of  their  treatment; — it  is  in  these 


THE    DISCIPLINE    OF    LIFE.  153 

that  you  are  to  cultivate  and  perfect  the 
character  of  a  child  of  God.  It  is  in  these 
that  your  passions  are  exercised,  and  your 
government  of  them  proved ;  in  these  that 
your  command  over  that  unruly  member,  the 
tongue,  is  made  known ;  in  these  that  temp- 
tations to  wrong  doing  and  evil  speaking 
beset  you,  and  that  you  are  to  apply  your 
religious  principle  in  resisting  them.'  In 
these  it  is,  consequently,  that  you  discover 
whether  your  principle  is  real  and  genuine,  or 
whether  it  lies  only  in  feeling  and  in  words. 
In  the  quiet  of  your  chamber,  in  the  devout 
solitude  of  your  closet,  when  the  world  is  shut 
out,  and  your  solemnized  spirit  feels  itself 
alone  with  God,  you  may  be  so  exalted  by 
communion  with  Heaven,  and  by  meditation 
on  heavenly  truth,  that  all  things  earthly  shall 
seem  worthless  and  paltry,  and  every  desire  be 
set  upon  things  above.  How  often,  at  such 
times,  does  it  appear  as  if  the  world  had  no 
longer  any  charms,  as  if  its  pleasures  and 
pomp  could  never  again  entice  or  delight  us ! 
Our  souls  are  above  them.  We  have  no  more 
relish  for  them  than  have  the  angels.  And 
if  this  were  all  which  is  required  of  us,  if 
o 


154  THE    DISCIPLINE    OP    LIFE. 

nothing  opposed  to  this  delightful  frame  of 
mind  were  ever  to  cross  our  path,  the  Chris- 
tian prize  would  be  already  won.  But,  alas  ! 
m  the  closet,  and  in  the  third  heaven  of 
contemplation,  we  can  live  but  a  small  portion 
of  the  time.  We  must  come  down  from  the 
mount.  We  must  enter  the  crowd  and 
distractions  of  common  life.  We  must  en- 
gage in  common  and  secular  affairs.  And 
there,  how  much  do  we  ei\counter  that  is 
opposed  to  the  calm  and  serene  spirit  of  our 
contemplative  hours!  how  much  to  irritate 
and  disturb  our  quiet  self-possession !  how 
much  to  drive  from  our  thoughts  the  subjects 
on  which  we  have  been  musing !  how  much 
to  revive  the  relish  for  transient  pleasures  and 
worldly  enjoyments,  and  a  love  for  the  things 
which  minister  gratification  to  pride  and  to 
the  senses!  In  the  midst  of  these  things, 
dangerous,  enticing,  seductive,  you  are  to 
live  and  walk  unchanged,  unseduced,  unde- 
filed ;  your  heart  true  to  its  Master,  your 
spirit  firm  in  its  allegiance  to  God,  and  your 
soul  as  truly  devout  and  humble  as  when 
worshipping  at  the  altar.  Is  this  easy?  I 
will  not  ask  ;    but  is  it  not  your  great,  your 


THE    DISCIPLINE    OF    LIFE.  155 

paramount,   trial?     Is   it   not   here,  that  the  A 
very  battle  of  your  soul's  salvation  is  to   be  \j\ 
Fought  ?     Is  not  this,  as  I  said,  the  very  field      '  ^ 
of  actual  and  decisive  war,  the  very  seat  of  the 
fearful  and  final  campaign  ?     And  the  prayers 
and   studies,    and   observances  of  your  more 
special  devotion,   are  they   not  the   buckling 
on    of    the    armor,    and    the   refreshing   and 
preparing  of  the  soul  for  its  real  combat  ? 

You  perceive,  tJien,  how  the  Christian  life 
must  consist  in  watchfulness  and  self-disci- 
pline; how  it  must  be  your  great  business 
to  keep  a  faithful  guard  over  yourself,  that, 
both  in  mind  and  conduct,  nothing  miy  exist 
contrary  to  the  spirit  and  precepts  of  Jesus 
Christ. 

First  of  all,  this  guard  is  to  be  placed  upon 
the  Mind.  It  is  an  intellectual,  internal, 
spiritual  discipline ;  the  oversight  and  man- 
agement of  the  thoughts  and  affections. 

There  is  a  superficial  religion,  not  unpopu- 
lar in  the  world,  which  is  limited  to  the  out- 
ward conduct  and  the  external  relations  of 
life;  which  is  made  to  consist  exclusively  in 
rectitude  of  behavior  and  uprightness  of 
dealing.     Into  this  error  you  are  not  likely  to 


156  THE    DISCIPLINE    OF    LIFE. 

fall,  i'  you  learn  your  religion  from  the  New 
Testament ;  and  I  should  not  have  thought  it 
needful  to  warn  you  against  it,  had  it  not  been 
so  prevalent.  Nothing  but  its  commonness 
could  render  it  credible,  that  men,  who  pos- 
sess the  Scriptures,  and  fancy  they  understand 
them,  or  who  are  simply  capable  of  obser- 
vation on  the  nature  of  man  and  of  happiness, 
should  persuade  themselves  that  the  character 
which  God  demands  and  will  bless,  is  inde- 
pendent of  the  state  of  the  mind  and  the  frame 
of  the  affections.  Is  it  not  the  mind  which 
constitutes  the  man?  Is  it  not  the  mind 
which  gives  its  moral  complexion  to  the  con- 
duct? Is  it  not  certain,  that  the  same 
conduct  which  we  applaud  as  indicating  an 
upright  character,  we  should  disapprove  and 
condemn,  on  discovering  that  it  proceeded 
from  base  and  improper  motives?  So  that 
even  men  judge  of  character  rather  by  the 
principle  which  actuates,  than  by  the  actions 
themselves.  How  much  more  completely 
would  this  be  the  case,  if,  instead  of  being 
obliged  to  infer  the  principle  from  the  act, 
they  could  discern  the  principle  itself  as  it 
lies  in  the  mind  of  the  agent !     Who,  in  that 


THE    DISCIPLINE    OF    LIFE.  157 

case,  would  ever  judge  a  man  by  his  actions 
alone?  Who  would  not  always  decide  re- 
specting his  character  from  the  principles  and 
motives  which  guided  him, — his  thoughts, 
dispositions,  and  habitual  temper?  And  thus 
it  is  that  the  Deity  judges  and  decides.  He 
looks  not  on  the  outward  appearance,  but  on 
the  heart.  Consequently,  how  obvious  is  the 
position,  that,  in  seeking  the  Christian  char- 
acter, the  first  and  most  diligent  watch  must 
be  placed  over  the  inner  man  !  *  Keep  thy 
HEART  with  all  diligence ;  for  out  of  it  are  the 
issues  of  life.' 

This  implies  several  things.  First,  a  care- 
ful guard  over  the  Thoughts.  It  is  in  the 
heedless  disregard  of  the  thoughts  that 
corruption  often  takes  its  rise.  They  are 
suffered  to  wander  without  restraint,  to  attach 
themselves  without  check  to  any  objects 
which  attract  the  senses,  or  are  suggested  in 
conversation,  and  to  rove  uncontrolled  from 
one  end  of  the  world  to  another.  How  many 
hours  are  thus  wasted  in  unprofitable  musing, 
which  leaves  no  impression  behind !  How 
much  of  life  is  made  an  absolute  blank ! 
Worse  still,  how  often  do  sinful  fancies,  sen- 
14 


158  THE    DISCIPLINE    OF    LIFE. 

sual  images,  unlawful  desires,  take  advantage 
of  this  negligence  to  insinuate  themselves  into 
the  mind,  and  make  to  themselves  a  home 
there,  polluting  the  chambers  of  the  soul, 
and  rendering  purity  unwelcome !  This  is 
the  beginning  of  evil  with  many  a  one,  who, 
from  this  want  of  vigilance  over  the  course 
of  his  thoughts,  has  surrendered  himself  to 
frivolity  and  sensuality,  without  being  aware 
that  he  was  in  peril.  Thoughtlessness,  mere 
thoughtlessness,  has  left  the  door  open  to  sin, 
and  the  same  thoughtlessness  prevents  the 
detection  of  the  intruder. 

You  may  fancy  that  your  present  prefer- 
ence for  profitable  subjects  of  thought,  is  such 
that  you  are  in  no  danger  from  this  source. 
But  beware  of  trusting  to  any  present  dispo- 
sition. If  you  become  confident,  you  will 
fall;  and  the  rather,  because  the  beginning 
of  this  peril  is  so  subtle  and  sly.  Believe  that 
the  danger  is  real  and  imminent,  or  it  is 
scarcely  possible  that  you  should  not  suffer 
from  it.  You  may  not,  indeed,  fall  a  victim  to 
irregular  desires  and  hurtful  immoralities; 
but  the  habit  of  unwatched  thought  will 
weaken   your   control   over   your   mind,    will 


THE     DISCIPLINE    OF    LIFE.  159 

diminish  your  power  of  self-government,  and 
rob  you  of  that  vigorous  self-possession,  alive 
to  every  occasion,  and  prompt  at  every  call, 
which  forms  the  decision  of  character  that 
ought  to  belong  to  him  who  professes  to 
follow  the  energetic  principles  of  Christian 
morality.  So  that,  if  you  would  be  saved  from 
an  unbecoming  weakness  of  mind,  and  its 
possible,  not  to  say  probable,  consequences, 
ungoverned  desires  and  passions,  keep  a 
guard  upon  your  thoughts.  Let  your  morn- 
ing and  evening  prayer  be,  that  you  may  live 
thoughtfully.  And  when,  in  the  business  of 
the  day,  your  hands  are  occupied,  but  your 
mind  free  to  think,  keep  yourself  attentive 
to  your  thoughts.  Inquire  frequently  how 
they  are  engaged.  Direct  them  to  useful  and 
innocent  subjects.  Think  over  the  books 
you  have  been  reading ;  rehearse  to  yourself 
the  knowledge  you  have  gained;  call  up  the 
sermons  you  have  heard ;  repeat  the  passages 
of  scripture  you  know.  By  methods  like 
these,  take  care  that  even  your  empty  hours 
minister  to  your  improvement.  Paley  has 
truly  observed,  that  every  man  has  some 
favorite  subject,  to  which  his  mind  spontano 


160  THE    DISCIPLINE    OF    LIFE. 

ously  turns  at  every  interval  of  leisure ;  and 
that  with  the  devout  man  the  subject  is  God. 
Hence  the  vtratching  over  your  thoughts 
furnishes  you  vi^ith  a  ready  test  of  your  reli- 
gious condition;  it  exposes  to  you  the  first 
and  faintest  symptoms  of  religious  decline, 
and  enables  you  to  apply  an  immediate 
remedy. 

If  the  thoughts,  which  may  be  expressed  in 
words,  are  to  be  thus  guarded,  the  Temper 
and  Feelings,  which  are  often  so  indefinable 
in  language,  require  a  no  less  anxious  guar- 
dianship. In  the  perplexities  and  trials  of 
daily  life,  in  the  conflict  with  the  various  tem- 
pers and  frequently  perverse  dispositions  of 
those  around  us,  in  the  little  crosses,  the  petty 
disappointments,  the  trifling  ills  which  are  our 
perpetual  lot,  we  are  exposed  to  lose  that  calm 
equanimity  of  mind  which  the  Christian 
shoula  habitually  possess.  We  are  liable  to 
be  rufl3ed  and  irritated,  and  to  feel  and  display 
another  spirit  than  that  gentleness  which 
*  bears  all  things  and  is  not  easily  provoked.' 
The  selfishness  of  some,  the  obstinacy  of  oth- 
er, tne  pride  of  our  neighbor,  the  heedlessness 
of  our  children,  and  the  unfaithfulness  of  our 


THE    DISCIPLINE    OF    LIFE.  161 

dependents,  tire  our  patience,  and  disturb  oui 
self-possession ;  while  bodily  infirmity  and  dis- 
ordered nerves  magnify  insignificant  inconve- 
niences into  serious  evils,  and  irritate  to  peev- 
ishness and  discontent  the  temper  which  duty 
calls  to  cheerfulness  and  submission.  Some 
are  blessed  with  a  native  quietness  of  temper- 
ament which  hardly  feels  these  hourly  vexa- 
tions. But  of  some  they  form  the  great  trial, 
and  peculiar  cross ;  they  can  bear  any  thing 
better.  And  to  all  persons  they  constitute  an 
exposure  full  of  hazard,  and  demanding  cau- 
tious vigilance.  The  very  spirit  and  essen- 
tial traits  of  the  Christian  character  require 
watchfulness  against  them,  and  imply  conquest 
over  them.  The  humility,  meekness,  forbear- 
ance, gentleness,  and  love  of  peace  ;  the  long- 
suffering,  the  patience,  the  serenity,  which 
form  so  lovely  a  combination,  which  portray  a 
character  that  no  one  can  fail  to  admire  and 
love ; — these  are  to  be  maintained  only  by 
much  and  persevering  watchfulness. 

Without  this,  the  most  equable  disposition 

by  nature  may  become  irritable  and  unhappy. 

With  it,  under  the  authority  and  guidance  of 

Christian  faith,  the  most  unfortunate  natural 

14*  r 


162  THE    DISCIPLINE    OF    LIFE. 

temper  is  subdued  to  the  gentleness  of  the 
lamb.  Without  it,  the  internal  condition  of 
man  is  restless,  rebellious,  full  of  wretched- 
ness, having  no  peace  in  itself,  and  enjoying 
nothing  around.  With  it,  the  aspect  of  the 
world  becomes  changed  ;  every  thing  is  bear- 
able, if  not  pleasant ;  the  sweet  light  which 
beams  within,  shines  on  all  without,  making 
pleasant  the  aspect  of  all  men,  and  smoothing 
the  roughnesses  of  all  affairs.  Who  does  not 
know  how  much  the  events  of  life  take  their 
hue  from  the  state  of  the  disposition  ?  To  the 
proud,  suspicious,  and  jealous,  every  man 
seems  an  intruder,  every  gesture  an  insult, 
and  every  event  a  cause  of  vexation  and  wrath. 
To  the  self-governed  and  amiable,  every  thing 
is  tolerable,  and  he  feels  nothing  of  the  incon- 
veniences which  make  the  misery  of  the  oth- 
er. One's  happiness,  therefore,  as  well  as 
duty,  requires  this  control  of  the  disposition. 
And  when  the  Saviour  pronounced  his  bene- 
diction on  the  pure,  peaceful,  humble-minded, 
and  meek,  he  taught,  not  only  the  great  re- 
quisite of  his  spiritual  kingdom,  but  the  great 
secret  of  human  felicity. 

When  the  frame  of  your  mind  is  thus  a  con- 


THE    DISCIPLINE    OF    LIFE.  163 

Btant  care,  you  will  find  little  difficulty  in  the 
control  of  the  Appetites.  These  things  are 
connected  together ;  and,  an  ascendency  over 
the  former  being  secured,  the  subjection  of 
the  latter  easily  follows.  But  take  good  heed 
that  it  does  follow.  Do  not  be  thoughtless 
about  it,  because  you  fancy  that  it  will  of 
course  accompany  a  regulated  mind.  Other- 
wise it  is  here  that  corruption  may  begin. 
The  enemy  will  enter  at  any  place,  however 
improbable,  which  shall  be  left  unguarded. 
And  it  only  needs  that  the  body  become  dis- 
ordered through  the  immoderate  indulgence 
of  the  appetites,  to  raise  a  rebellion  through- 
out the  whole  moral  system;  or,  to  speak 
more  plainly,  this  indulgence  will  create 
cloudiness  of  mind,  indisposition  to  thought, 
activity,  and  duty,  irritability  of  temper,  slug- 
gishness of  devotional  feeling,  and  at  length  a 
general  spiritual  lethargy.  There  can  be  little 
doubt,  that  much  of  our  dullness  of  apprehen- 
sion and  deadness  of  feeling  on  spiritual  topics, 
as  well  as  our  strange  sensibility  to  minor  tri- 
als, is  owing  to  a  derangement  of  the  animal 
economy,  which  is  again  owing  to  want  of 
moderation  in  gratifying  our  animal   desires. 


i64  THE    DISCIPLINE    OF    LIFE. 

Hence  there  was  some  reason  in  the  absti- 
nence and  fastings  of  religious  men  in  ancient 
times ;  and  if  we  valued  sufficiently,  what  they 
perhaps  valued  super stitiously, — serenity  and 
brightness  of  mind,  an  equal  temper,  and  a 
perpetual  aptitude  for  spiritual  contemplation, — 
we  should  imitate  them  more,  if  not  in  their 
fastings,  yet  certainly  in  their  temperance. 
At  any  rate,  *  let  your  moderation  be  known 
unto  all  men.*  For  temperance  is  not  only 
the  observance  of  an  express  injunction,  but  is 
essential  to  that  quietness  and  self-control 
which  should  mark  the  religious  character. 

The  next  exercise  of  self-discipline  will  be 
in  Conversation.  Conversation,  while  it  is  a 
chief  source  of  improvement  and  pleasure,  is 
also  a  scene  of  peculiar  trial,  and  the  occasion 
of  much  sin.  One  might  suppose  that  few 
persons  ever  dream  that  they  are  accountable 
for  what  passes  in  conversation,  although 
there  is  no  point  of  ordinary  life  which  Jesus 
and  the  Apostles  have  more  frequently  and 
sternly  put  under  the  control  of  religious  prin- 
ciple. Their  language  is  strikingly  urgent  on 
this  head  ;  and  yet,  so  little  scrupulousness  is 
there  among  men,  even  religious  men,  that  it  , 


THE    DISCIPLINE    OF    LIFE  165 

would  seem  as  if  they  felt  ashamed  to  be  care- 
ful in  their  talk.  A  thoroughly  well-governed 
speech  is  so  rare,  that  we  still  say,  in  the  words 
of  James,  *  If  any  man  offend  not  in  word,  the 
same  is  a  perfect  man.' 

Do  not  allow  yourself  to  be  off  your  guard 
in  this  respect.  Make  it  a  part  of  your  busi- 
ness, by  a  cautious  prudence,  to  have  your 
speech  consistent  with  the  rest  of  your  charac- 
ter. Do  not  flatter  yourself  that  your  thoughts 
are  under  due  control,  your  desires  properly 
regulated,  or  your  dispositions  subject  as  they 
should  be  to  Christian  principle,  if  your  inter- 
course with  others  consists  mainly  of  frivolous 
gossip,  impertinent  anecdotes,  speculations  on 
the  character  and  affairs  of  your  neighbors, 
the  repetition  of  former  conversations,  or  a 
discussion  of  the  current  petty  scandal  of  so- 
ciety; much  less,  if  you  allow  yourself  in 
careless  exaggeration  on  all  these  points,  and 
that  grievous  inattention  to  exact  truth  which 
is  apt  to  attend  the  statements  of  those  whose 
conversation  is  made  up  of  these  materials. 
Give  no  countenance  to  this  lamentable  depar- 
ture from  charity  and  veracity,  which  it  is 
mortifying   to   observe    commonly   marks  the 


166  THE    DISCIPLINE    OF    LIFE. 

every-day  gossip  of  the  world.  Let  precision 
in  every  statement  distinguish  what  you  say, 
remembering  that  a  little  lie,  or  a  little  unchar- 
itableness,  is  no  better  than  a  little  theft.  Be 
slow  to  speak  those  reports  to  another's  disad- 
vantage, which  find  so  ready  a  circulation  and 
are  so  eagerly  believed,  though  every  day's  ex- 
perience shows  us  that  a  large  proportion  of 
them  are  unfounded  and  false.  In  a  word, 
be  convinced  that  levity,  uncharitableness,  and 
falsehood,  are  as  truly  immoral  and  irreligious 
in  the  common  intercourse  of  life,  as  on  its 
more  solemn  occasions ;  that  idle  and  injuri- 
ous words  make  a  part  of  man's  responsible 
character,  as  really  as  blasphemy  and  idolatry ; 
and  that  '  if  any  man  seem  to  be  religious, 
and  bridle  not  his  tongue,  that  man's  religion 
is  vain.'  , 

'  A  word  spoken  in  season,  how  good  it  is !' 
Why  should  you  not  do  all  in  your  power  to 
elevate  the  tone  of  conversation,  and  render 
the  intercourse  of  man  with  man  more  ra- 
tional and  profitable  ?/' Let  your  example  of 
cheerful,  innocent,  blameless  words,  in  which 
neither  folly  nor  austerity  shall  find  place,  ex- 
hibit  the  uprightness  and  purity  of  a  mind 


I 


THE    DISCIPLINE    OF    LIFE. 


167 


controlled  by  habitual  principle,  and  be  a 
recommendation  of  the  religion  you  profess. 
Let  the  authority  of  that  faith  to  which  you 
subject  every  other  department  of  your  charac- 
ter, be  extrended  to  those  moments,  not  the 
least  important,  in  which  you  exercise  the  pe- 
culiar capacity  of  a  rational  being  in  the 
interchange  of  thought.  Never  let  it  be  said 
of  your  tongue,  which  Watts  has  truly  called 
*  the  glory  af  our  frame,'  that  with  it  you  bless 
God,  and  at  the  same  time  make  its  habitual 
carelessness  a  curse  to  men,  who  are  formed 
in  the  similitude  of  God. 

The  influence  of  the  principle  which  rules 
within,  should  thus  be  seen  in  all  your  deport- 
ment and  intercourse,  on  every  occasion  and 
in  every  relation.  Your  outward  life  should 
be  but  the  manifestation  and  expression  of  the 
temper  which  prevails  within,  the  acting-out 
of  the  sentiments  which  abide  there;  so  that 
all  who  see  you  may  understand,  without  your 
saying  it  in  words,  how  supreme  with  you  is 
the  authority  of  conscience,  how  reverent  your 
attachment  to  truth,  how  sacred  your  adher- 
ence to  duty ;  how  full  of  good- will  to  men, 
and    how   devoutly   submissive   to    God,   the 


y 


168  THE    DISCIPLINE    OF    LIFE. 

habitual  tenor  of  your  mind.  Your  spontane- 
ous, unconstrained  action,  flowing  without  effort 
from  your  feelings,  amid  the  events  of  every 
day,  should  be  the  unavoidable  expression  of 
a  spirit  imbued  with  high  and  heavenward 
desires ;  so  that,  as  in  the  case  of  the  Apostles, 
those  who  saw  them  ^  took  knowledge  of  them 
that  they  had  been  with  Jesus,'  it  may  in  like 
manner  be  obvious  that  you  have  learned  of 
that  holy  Teacher.  And  this  may  be  without 
any  obtrusive  display  on  your  part,  without 
asking  for  observation,  without  either  saying 
^  or  hinting,  *  Come,  see  my  zeal  for  the  Lord.' 
/  The  reign  of  a  good  principle  in  the  soul  car- 
ries its  own  evidence  in  the  life,  just  as  that  of 
a  good  government  is  visible  on  the  face  of 
society./ A  man  of  a  disinterested  and  pious 
mind  bears  the  signature  of  it  in  his  whole 
'deportment.  His  Lord's  mark  is  on  his  fore- 
head. We  may  say  of  his  inward  principle, 
which  an  Apostle  has  called  *  Christ  formed 
within  us,'  as  was  said  of  Christ  himself  dur- 
ing his  beneficent  ministry ; — It  *  cannot  be 
hid.'  There  is  an  atmosphere  of  excellence 
about  such  a  man,  which  gives  savor  of  his 
goodness  to  all    who   approach,  and   through 


THE    DISCIPLINE    OF    LIFE.  169 

which  the  internal  light  of  his  soul  beams  out 
upon  all  observers.  Consequently,  if  you  al- 
low yourself  in  a  deportment  inconsistent  with 
Christian  uprightness,  propriety,  and  charity, 
you  are  guilty  of  bringing  contradiction  and 
disgrace  on  the  principles  which  you  profess ; 
you  expose  yourself  to  the  charge  of  hypocrit- 
ically maintaining  truths  to  which  you  do  not 
conform  yourself  You  dishonor  your  religion 
by  causing  it  to  appear  unequal  to  that  domin- 
ion over  the  human  character  which  it  claims 
to  exert.  All  men  know  that,  if '  the  salvation 
reigned  within,'  it  would  regulate  the  move- 
ments of  the  life  as  surely  as  the  internal  mo- 
tions of  the  watch  are  indicated  on  its  face; 
if  the  hands  point  wrong,  they  know,  without 
looking  further,  that  there  is  disorder  within. 
That  disorder  they  will  attribute  either  to  the 
incapacity  of  the  principle,  or  to  your  unfaithful- 
ness in  applying  it.  But,  what  is  of  far  great- 
er importance,  the  holy  and  unerring  judg- 
ment of  God  will  ascribe  it  to  the  single  cause 
of  your  own  unfaithfulness;  and  for  all  your 
wanderings  from  Christian  constancy,  and  all 
the  consequent  dishonor  to  the  Christian 
15 


170  THE    DISCIPLINE    OF    LIFE. 

name,  you  must  bear  the  shame  and  reproach 
in  the  final  day  of  account. 

You  perceive  how  urgent  is  the  call  for  per- 
petual watchfulness  and  rigid  self-discipline. 
It  is  not  easy,  with  much  intentional  guard 
over  yourself,  to  keep  the  spirit  habitually 
right  in  this  giddy  and  tempting  world ;  and  it 
is  equally  difficult  to  maintain  a  perfect  coinci- 
dence between  the  principle  within  and  the 
deportment  of  daily  life.  Oftentimes,  in  the 
emergencies  and  hurry  of  business,  pleasure, 
and  society,  where  many  things  concur  to 
drown  the  voice  of  the  spirit  within,  we  find 
the  lower  propensities  of  our  nature  gaining  an 
ascendency,  and  the  law  in  our  members  ris- 
ing in  rebellion  against  the  law  in  our  mind. 
*  The  things  that  we  would,  we  do  not,  and 
the  things  that  we  would  not,  those  we  do ;' 
and  sense  and  passion  triumph  for  the  moment 
over  reason  and  faith.  *  The  flesh  lusteth 
against  the  spirit,  and  the  spirit  against  the 
flesh,  and  these  are  contrary  the  one  to  the 
other.'  And  how  shall  we  gain  the  victory  in 
this  perpetual  contest  ?  *  Through  our  Lord 
Jesus   Christ,'    says    the    Apostle;     and    the 


THE    DISCIPLINE    OF    LIFE.  171 

means  thereto  are  found  in  his  injunction, 
*  Watch  and  pray,  that  ye  enter  not  into 
temptation.'  Vigilance  over  every  hour  and 
in  every  engagement,  carrying  into  them  the 
shield  of  faith  and  the  whole  armor  of  God ; 
and  prayer,  without  ceasing,  that  your  soul  may 
be  strong  to  wield  them ; — these  will  secure  to 
you  the  victory.  Sometimes  you  will  find 
yourself  in  perplexities  and  straits,  sometimes 
faltering  and  irresolute;  but  never  forsaken 
or  cast  down,  never  exposed  to  temptation 
which  you  are  unable  to  bear,  or  from  which 
there  is  no  way  of  escape.  You  may  *  do  all 
things  through  Christ  who  strengtheneth  you.' 

I  have  thus  spoken  of  that  religious  disci- 
pline of  daily  life,  in  which  the  Christian 
character  is  formed  and  tried.  It  will  be  suf- 
ficient to  add,  in  conclusion,  that  your  great 
concern  must  be  with  two  things, — your  prin- 
ciples and  your  habits. 

First,  you  must  constantly  have  an  eye  to 
your  Principles.  Take  care  that  they  be  kept 
pure,  and  that  you  abide  by  them.  They 
have  been  well  compared  to  the  compass  of 
the  ship,  on  which  if  the  helmsman  keeps  a 
faithful    eye,   and   resolutely    steers   by    it   irt 


172  THE    DISCIPLINE    OF    LIFE. 

spite  of  the  opposition  of  winds  and  wa  zes,  he 
will  find  the  way  to  his  port ;  but  by  heedless 
inattention  to  it,  he  is  sure  to  go  astray,  and  be 
blown  whither  he  would  not.  Be  assured  that 
it  is  only  by  adherence  to  principle,  in  reso- 
lute defiance  of  inclination,  opposition,  present 
interest,  and  worldly  solicitation,  that  you 
can  ensure  the  steady  progress  of  your  soul, 
and  its  final  arrival  in  heaven.  Neglect  it, 
and  you  are  at  the  mercy  of  circumstances, 
tossed  helpless  on  the  waters  of  chance,  expos- 
ed to  the  buffetings  of  temptation  without  the 
power  of  resistance,  and  a  sure  prey  of  the 
destroyer.  You  must  find  your  safety  in  the 
strength  of  your  principle ;  and  that  strength 
lies  in  the  original  power  of  conscience,  and 
the  added  authority  of  the  divine  word.  Here- 
in is  the  *  still  small  voice'  of  Heaven ;  and  he 
that  will  *  cover  his  face'  from  the  world,  and 
obediently  listen  to  it,  may  become  morally 
omnipotent. 

Secondly,  have  an  eye  to  your  Habits. 
Add  to  the  authority  of  principle  the  vigor  and 
steadfastness  of  confirmed  habit,  and  your  re- 
ligious character  become?  almost  impregnable 
to  assault.     It  is  in  no  danger  of  overthrow, 


I 


THE    DISCIPLINE    OP    LIFE.  173 

except  from  the  most  cunning  assailants  in  a 
season  of  your  most  culpable  negligence. 
What  wisdom  and  kindness  has  the  Creator 
displayed  in  our  constitution,  that  we  are  able 
to  rear  around  our  virtue  the  strong  bulwark 
of  habit !  It  is  a  defence  of  the  weakest 
spirit  against  the  strongest  trial.  Through 
the  power  of  habits  early  formed,  how  many 
have  stood  in  exposed  places,  and  been  unaf- 
fected by  solicitations  to  sin,  beneath  which 
others  have  fallen,  who  trusted  to  their  good 
purposes,  but  who  had  never  confirmed  and  in- 
vigorated them  in  action !  How  often,  for  ex- 
ample, has  the  young  man  from  a  retired 
situation, — educated  in  the  bosom  of  a  vir- 
tuous family,  and  under  the  eye  of  a  watchful 
father,  thence  sent  forth  to  the  new  scenes  of 
a  city  life,  under  the  protection  of  good  princi- 
ples and  a  sincere  purpose  to  do  well, — been 
found  weak  and  wanting  in  the  exposure ;  and 
been  carried  away  headlong  by  the  tide  of 
temptation,  because  his  early  habits  were  suit- 
ed only  for  seclusion,  and  his  principles  were 
guarded  by  none  which  could  secure  them 
against  the  novel  assaults  that  were  made  upon 
them !     While,  on  the  other  hand,  young  men 


174  THE    DISCIPLINE    OF    LIFE. 

brought  up  in  the  midst  of  these  solicitations 
10  sin,  with  far  less  inculcation  of  principle,  are 
oftentimes  enabled,  through  the  mere  strength 
which  habit  imparts,  to  resist  them  all,  and 
live  in  the  midst  of  them  as  if  they  were  not. 

It  cannot  be  necessary  to  multiply  exam 
pies.  You  well  know  what  a  slave  man  is  to 
his  habitual  indulgences,  and  how  the  custom- 
ary routine  of  his  life  and  methods  of  employ- 
ment tyrannize  over  him,  and  how  frequently 
one  strives  in  vain  to  free  himself  from  their 
dominion.  The  old  proverb  is  every  day 
verified  before  you,  of  the  skin  of  the  Ethio- 
pian and  the  spots  of  the  leopard.  But,  if 
thus  powerful  for  evil,  habit  is  no  less  powerful 
for  good.  If  in  some  cases  it  be  stronger  than 
principle,  and  defy  all  the  expostulations  of 
religion,  even  when  the  miserable  man  is  con- 
vinced that  his  safety  lies  in  breaking  from  it; 
then,  when  enlisted  as  the  ally  of  principle, 
when  coupled  with  faith,  and  made  the  fellow- 
worker  of  piety,  how  unspeakable  may  be  its 
aid  toward  the  security  and  permanence  of 
virtue ! 

Take  heed  therefore  to  your  habits.     Allow 
yourself    to    form    none    but     such    as    are 


THE    DISCIPLINE    OP    LIFE.  175 

innocent,  and  such  as  may  help  your  efforts 
lo~~do  well.  In  *he  arrangement  of  your 
business,  in  the  oiethods  of  your  household 
and  family,  in  the  disposal  of  your  time,  in 
the  choice,  seasons,  and  mode  of  your  recrea- 
tion, in  your  love  of  company,  and  your  se- 
lection of  books, — in  these  preserve  a  simple 
and  blameless  taste.  Do  not  allov^r  any  of 
them  to  be  such  as  shall  offer  an  obstacle  to 
serious  thought,  and  induce  a  state  of  feeling 
indisposed  to  religious  exercises.  Especially 
do  not  allow  them  so  to  enter  the  frame  and 
texture  of  your  life,  that  every  effort  of  virtue 
and  devotion  shall  be  a  pitched  battle  with 
some  cherished  inclination,  or  sturdy  habit. 
This  is  to  increase  most  unwisely  and  need- 
lessly the  trials  and  perils  of  a  religious 
course.  It  is  to  raise  up  for  yourself  obstacles 
and  difficulties  beyond  those  which  properly 
belong  to  your  situation.  Rather,  therefore, 
arrange  every  thing  in  your  customary  pur- 
suits and  indulgences  to  favor  the  grand  end 
of  your  being ;  so  that  every  act  of  piety  and 
faith  shall  be  coincident  with  it ;  so  that  little 
or  no  effort  shall  be  required  to  maintain  the 
Eteady  order  of  daily  duty ;  and,  instead  of  an 


176  THE    DISCIPLINE    OF    LIFE. 

opposition,  a  struggle,  a  contest,  whenever 
principle  asserts  its  claims,  you  shall  find  the 
ready  consent  and  hearty  cooperation  of  all  the 
habitual  preferences,  tastes,  and  occupations, 
of  your  life.  He  in  whom  this  is  so,  is  the 
happy  man.  He  is  the  consistent  man.  He 
is  the  man  to  be  congratulated,  to  be  ad- 
mired, to  be  imitated.  Universal  harmony 
reigns  within  him ;  no  oppositions,  no  jarring 
contentions,  mar  his  peace.  With  him,  the 
flesh  and  the  spirit  are  no  longer  contrary  the 
one  to  the  other.  His  duty  and  his  inclina- 
tion are  one.  There  is  no  dispute  between 
what  he  ought  to  do,  and  what  he  wishes  to 
do.  But,  with  one  consenting  voice,  heart 
and  life  move  on  harmoniously,  accustomed  to 
and  loving  the  same  things.  To  him  the 
yoke  is  indeed  easy,  and  the  burden  light. 
To  him  heaven  is  already  begun  ;  and  when 
at  last  he  shall  be  welcomed  to  the  joy  of  his 
Lord,  it  will  be  to  a  joy  which  his  regulated 
spirit  has  already  tasted  in  the  labors  and 
pleasures  of  obedience  below. 


PROGRESS 


CHKISTIAN    LIFE. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1847,  bv 
James  Munroe  and  Comfant,  in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  Jie 
District  Court  of  the  District  of  Massachusetts. 


ADVERTISEMENT. 


At  the  period  when  Mr.  Ware's  health 
began  irrecoverably  to  fail,  and  just  before 
he  was  obliged  to  give  up  all  occupation,  he 
was  devoting  his  hours  of  leisure  to  the  prep- 
aration of  a  sequel  to  his  work  on  the  For- 
mation of  the  Christian  Character,  which  he 
designed  to  entitle  "  Progress  of  the  Chris- 
tian Life."  Several  chapters  only  were  fin- 
ished. They  are  too  valuable  to  be  lost, 
and  are  here  published  in  the  hope  that  they 
may  be  useful.  The  reader  will  form  by 
them  an  idea  of  what  the  sequel  would  have 
been  if  its  author  had  lived  to  finish  it. 

C.  R. 


AUTHOR'S    PREFACE. 


The  following  pages  are  designed  as  a 
sequel  to  the  little  work  on  the  Formation 
of  the  Christian  Character,  and  are  supposed 
to  be  addressed  to  the  same  persons.  When 
one  has  adopted  the  Christian  faith  as  his 
rule  of  life,  and  begun  in  earnest  his  religious 
existence,  it  is  still  but  the  commencement 
of  a  career  in  which  an  indefinite  progress  is 
to  be  made,  and  which  is  to  continue  forever. 
As  long  as  man  is  imperfect,  there  is  room 
for  improvement.  As  long  as  he  is  in  the 
flesh,  there  is  occasion  for  watchfulness  and 
struggling  against  temptation.  There  is  need 
that  his  principles  become  more  and  more 
fixed,  his  conscience  more  and  more  enlight- 


8  .  author's  preface. 

ened  and  controlling,  his  passions  more  thor- 
oughly obedient  to  thie  law'pf  righteousness, 
and  his  whole  temper  and  demeanor  more 
steadfastly  conformed  to  the  example  of 
Christ.  In  a  word,  he  is  to  grow  in  grace. 
Advancement  is  his  duty,  perfection  his  aim. 
It  is  with  regard  to  this  duty  of  religious 
progress  that  I  propose  to  offer  a  few  hints. 
There  are  some  errors  respecting  it  prevalent 
among  believers,  which  I  would  first  attempt 
to  rectify  ;  and  then  I  would  explain  its  true 
nature  and  character,  remove  discourage- 
ments, and  show  the  means  and  steps  by 
which  it  should  proceed,  and  how  actual 
success  is  to  be  ascertained. 


%(^    OP*  THE 
CO 


CHAPTER   1.  PAQB. 

Errors  respecting  the  duty  of  religious  prog- 
ress noticed  and  corrected  —  especially  the 
error  that  the  Christian  life,  having  been 
begun,    is   accomplished, 11 

CHAPTER   n. 
Errors  noticed  and  corrected  —  especially  the 
error  that  the  Christian  life  is  not  to  be  taken 
up  expressly  —  is  not  to  have  a  marked  com- 
mencement,     27 

CHAPTER   in. 

Errors  noticed  and  corrected  —  especially  the 
error  of  those  who  fancy  that  the  Christian 
life  may  be  sustained  without  the  use  of 
means, 39 

CHAPTER   IV. 

The  young  Christian  put  on  his  guard  against 
the  hinderance  to  progress  which  arises  from 
disappointment  respecting  the  enjoyment  of 
a  religious  life, 52 


10  CONTENTS. 

V 

CHAPTER  V.                      PAGE. 
Considerations  designed  to  assist  the  Christian 
in    the   successful    use    of   the   means   and 
methods  of  religious  progress, 65 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Maxims  on  which  the  expectation  of  religious 
progress  is  to  be  built, 78 


N.  B.  The  following  titles  of  additional  chapters  or 
sections  are  given  in  Mr.  Ware's  manuscript : — 

Hinderances.  How  Progress  manifests  itself,  and  is 
to  be  ascertained.  Progress  in  Knowledge,  in  Self-gov- 
ernment, in  Spirituality  of  Temper,  in  Conscientumsnes9 , 
in  Disinterestedness,  in  Power  to  resist  Temptation.  In 
what  sense  Perfection  is  to  be  expected,  SfC.  S^c. 


PROGRESS 


CHRISTIAN     LIFE 


CHAPTER    I 

ERRORS  RESPECTING  THE  DUTY  OF  RELIGIOUS 
PROGRESS  NOTICED  AND  CORRECTED ES- 
PECIALLY THE  ERROR  THAT  THE  CHRIS- 
TIAN LIFE,  HAVING  BEEN  BEGUN,  IS  AC- 
COMPLISHED. 

Nothing  can  be  plainer  than  that  the 
Christian  character  is  a  thing  to  be  acquired 
and  to  be  improved;  yet  it  is  evident  that 
many  do  not  so  regard  it.  If  we  may  judge 
from  their  conduct,  the  number  is  not  small 
of  those  who  esteem  it  something  which 
belongs  to  them  just  as  the  body  does,  and 
to  be  kept  alive  and  in  health  just  like  that, 


12  PROGRESS    OF    THE 

by  living  along  from  day  to  day,  as  the  cir- 
cumstances of  each  day  may  suggest,  but 
not  to  be  the  subject  of  any  special  regard. 
But  as  to  being  every  day  better  than  the 
day  before,  as  to  being  more  humble  and 
charitable  this  year  than  they  were  last,  it 
does  not  enter  their  mind,  it  makes  no  part 
of  their  plan.  They  have  been  Christians, 
they  say,  as  long  as  they  can  remember  ;  they 
always  believed  in  the  gospel,  and  meant  to 
do  their  duty.  But  they  do  not  know  more 
about  the  history  and  foundation,  the  nature 
and  purposes,  of  their  religion,  nor  are  they 
in  any  respect  more  devoted.  Indeed,  when 
one  thinks  seriously  on  the  subject,  it  is  a 
matter  of  amazement  to  him  to  observe  how 
stationary  good  men  are,  and  how  quietly 
they  content  themselves  with  being  so. 

It  is  not  so  in  other  matters.  We  look 
around  us  on  the  community,  and  we  see  it 
in  a  state  of  commotion  and  advancement. 
Its  prosperity  is  a  wonder  to  us,  and  that 
prosperity  is  progress.  Every  one  is  pushing 
forward.  Every  one  is  eager  and  panting  for 
success.  Our  young  men  rise  step  by  step ; 
they  are  discontented  if  they  find  it  other- 


CHRISTIAN    LIFE.  VS 

wise.  Those  who  began  life  with  nothing 
are  seen  in  a  few  years  comfortably  living 
with  a  family  around  them,  —  then  entering 
a  larger  dwelling,  supporting  a  more  exten- 
sive establishment,  and  in  various  expenses 
evincing  the  advancement  they  have  made. 
This  is  common.  But  meantime  —  even  if 
they  account  themselves  Christians,  and  re- 
member that  they  have  an  eternity  as  well 
as  a  family  to  provide  for — they  have  not 
dreamed  of  exhibiting  any  proportionate  ad- 
vancement  of  character  ;  it  has  not  occurred 
to  them  that  their  piety  should  have  grown 
with  their  estate;  that  their  charities  should 
have  been  as  much  greater  than  formerly  as 
their  income  has  become  larger ;  that,  as 
they  have  been  rising  in  the  world,  they 
should  have  risen  also  toward  heaven.  In 
the  eye  of  the  world,  they  are  better  dressed 
and  better  lodged,  and  they  move  in  a  more 
fashionable  and  intellectual  circle;  but  in 
the  eye  of  God,  in  their  preparation  for 
heaven,  they  are  just  where  they  were.  They 
have  contrived  to  give  the  soul  just  food 
enough  to  keep  it  of  the  same  stature  —  not 
considering  that  it  was  to  grow  as  well  as  the 
2 


14  PROGRESS    OF    THE 

body  —  not  considering,  indeed,  that  this 
eager  attention  to  worldly  good,  and  rapid 
growth  in  earthly  prosperity,  have  very  prob- 
ably stunted  the  growth  of  their  characters. 

How  salutary  might  it  prove  to  every  one 
whom  Providence  has  blessed  with  an  in- 
crease of  goods,  if,  at  every  enlargement  of 
his  style  of  living,  he  should  devote  one  day 
to  searching  into  his  spiritual  progress,  and 
resolve  never  to  erect  a  new  house,  or  intro- 
duce a  higher  indulgence  to  his  domestic 
economy,  until  he  could  honestly  say,  that 
he  was  as  much  improved  in  character  as  in 
fortune ! 

But,  alas!  this  is  far  from  being  the  way  of 
the  world.  They  are  satisfied  to  seem  to 
themselves  no  worse  than  they  were ;  —  if 
they  deeply  examined  themselves,  they  might 
discover  that  they  are,  in  fact,  much  worse. 

Amid  this  universal  and  earnest  struggle 
for  the  outside  life,  the  inner  life  is  neglected  ; 
and  very  good  men  are  entirely  content  to  be 
no  better,  who  could  ill  brook  to  be  no 
richer. 

Certainly  this  indicates  a  false  idea  of  the 
true  object  of  life,  and  a  very  imperfect  ac- 


CHRISTIAN    LIFE.  15 

quaintance  with  that  religion  which  they  pro- 
fess to  have  taken  for  their  guide.  I  do  not 
treat  the  question  in  its  reference  to  mere 
men  of  the  world.  On  their  principles  they 
are  right.  With  a  worldly  man,  character  is 
of  very  little  consequence.  If  he  be  not  dis- 
honest, so  as  to  be  in  danger  of  the  law,  — 
if  he  keep  a  decent  reputation  for  fairness 
and  the  social  virtues,  so  as  not  to  hinder  his 
success  by  becoming  obnoxious  to  others, — 
what  more  can  he  need  ?  His  business  is  to 
make  his  fortune  and  enjoy  himself  more  and 
more  every  year ;  and  this  he  can  do  perfectly 
well  without  being  a  better  man.  This, 
therefore,  need  be  no  part  of  his  concern. 
But  with  those  who  profess  to  look  beyond 
the  world,  to  whom  the  favor  of  God  is  of 
some  consequence,  as  well  as  the  opinion  of 
men,  and  who  soberly  believe  that  virtue  is 
better  than  wealth,  —  with  such  as  I  am  now 
addressing,  —  it  should  be  the  chief  concern. 
Is  it  possible  that  they  can  have  adopted 
Christ  as  their  Master,  and  taken  his  religion 
as  the  great  guide  and  blessing  of  their  souls, 
knowing  themselves  to  be  immortal,  and  yet 
be  satisfied  to  see  their  earthly  condition  pros- 


16  PROGRESS    OF    THE 

perous  while  there  are  no  signs  of  their 
souls'  prosperity?  Surely  the  last  must  be 
their  great  anxiety  and  care,  or  they  are 
strangely  false  to  their  principles.  There  is 
no  incompatibility  between  the  two ;  both 
may  advance  together ;  but  to  strive  only  for 
the  earthly  is  treachery  to  their  principles. 
Alas !  then,  how  many  such  traitors  are 
there ! 

But  there  is  another  class.  All  do  not, 
even  in  this  prosperous  community,  succeed 
in  their  anxious  efforts  to  advance  themselves 
in  the  world.  Many  make  no  progress. 
They  gain  no  wealth,  they  never  enlarge  their 
means  of  living  and  enjoyment,  they  live  on 
as  they  began.  Perhaps  they  are  content 
with  their  lot.  Many,  it  is  well  known,  are 
perfectly  so.  They  acquiesce  in  the  allot- 
ment of  Providence,  and  quietly  sit  down 
where  God  has  appointed  them.  But  many 
more  have  tried  to  rise,  and  in  vain.  Are 
they  satisfied  then  ?  Do  they  content  them- 
selves? Do  they  make  no  effort  further? 
Do  they  feel  no  regret,  mortification,  and 
longing?  Surely  not  so.  Waking  and  dream- 
ing, they  are  haunted  by  the  restless  desire 


CHRISTIAN    LIFE.  17 

and  the  unquenched  hope  of  reinstating  their 
fortunes.  And  yet,  though  they  know  that 
their  souls  are  equally  far  from  prosperity, 
and  that  they  have  made  no  improvement  in 
religious  knowledge  and  virtue,  it  does  not 
make  them  uneasy;  they  are  perfectly  will- 
ing it  should  be  so.  They  are  quite  content 
to  find  themselves  no  better  Christians ;  but 
they  cannot  bear  to  find  themselves  no  more 
wealthy. 

It  was  a  beautiful  wish  of  the  disciple 
whom  Jesus  loved,  when  writing  to  a  dear 
friend,  "  that  he  might  be  in  health  and  pros- 
per even  as  his  soul  prospered.^^  I  fear  it 
would  be  thought  a  strange  wish  now,  even 
amongst  those  who  esteem  themselves  very 
good  disciples.  They  would  not  understand 
how  the  prosperity  of  the  soul  is  the  first 
thing.  Many,  it  is  to  be  feared,  do  not  even 
place  it  second.  Business,  money->getting,  is 
first ;  their  family,  second  ;  religion  is  post- 
poned to  the  third  place,  at  least,  and  very 
little  honored  in  that,  if  we  may  judge  by  its 
advancement  in  comparison  with  that  of  the 
other  two. 

There  are  undoubtedly  other  classes  to  be 
2*= 


18  PROGRESS    OF    THE 

found,  besides  those  whom  I  have  now  named. 
They  need  not  be  described.  They  leave 
but  a  small  number  to  be  found  scattered 
among  us,  here  and  there,  as  we  look  around, 
whose  business,  aim,  object,  is  the  growth  of 
their  character,  who  live  for  the  sake  of  the 
soul,  and  who  evidently,  markedly,  become 
better  men  as  they  advance  in  life.  We 
would  not  be  cynical  in  our  estimate,  but 
none  can  look  around  on  society.  Christian 
society,  —  recollecting  with  what  capacities 
for  goodness  men  have  been  endowed,  and 
what  inducements  to  progress  toward  per- 
fection are  always  before  them,  —  without  a 
feeling  of  amazement,,  mortification,  and 
alarm,-  at  observing  how  few  are  growing,  or 
striving  to  grow,  in  the  virtues  of  the  Chris- 
tian life.  So  rare  are  such  instances,  that 
they  are  looked  on,  and  spoken  of,  as  bright 
exceptions ;  and  a  measure  of  goodness  which 
ought  to  be  that  of  every  man,  nay,  which  all 
acknowledge  to  be  still  far  short  of  what  the 
Christian  should  be,  is  described,  praised, 
and  held  forth  to  imitation  as  something  ex- 
traordinary —  as,  indeed,  beyond  what  men 
in  general    are   expected   to   attain.      "  We 


CHRISTIAN    LIFE.  19 

are  not  to  expect  to  find  others  as  good  as 
he." 

This  defective  tone  and  condition  of  society 
is  unquestionably  a  great  hinderance  to  those 
who  are  young  in  religion.  It  presents  to 
them,  on  their  first  entrance  to  a  new  princi- 
ple, instead  of  examples  that  stimulate  to 
effort  and  excellence,  and  raise  still  higher 
their  impressions  of  the  purity  and  spirituality 
of  Christian  attainment,  specimens  of  lag- 
ging, sluggish,  moderate  virtue,  which  coun- 
tenance them  in  the  most  indolent  exertions 
for  improvement.  As  they  look  forward  with 
the  glowing  mind  of  youth  and  the  first  beat- 
ings of  awakened  faith,  the  Christian  life 
looks  to  them  not  only  all  light  and  glorious, 
but  of  a  strict  and  holy  austerity,  and  a  scru- 
pulous purity  which  has  no  part  or  lot  with 
the  ordinary  follies  of  humanity  —  elevated 
above  the  world  by  a  taste  which  has  no 
pleasure  in  its  perishing  pursuits,  and  a  habit 
of  exalted  contemplation  which  dwells  amid 
things  unseen  and  eternal.  They  begin  the 
race,  therefore,  with  feelings  of  high  aspira- 
tion. They  take  their  place  among  the  dis- 
ciples with  a  romantic  and  earnest  expecta- 


20  PROGRESS    OF    THE 

tion  of  finding  in  those  privileged  persons 
something,  they  know  not  what,  of  a  celes- 
tial temper  and  beauty :  they  expect  to  be 
incited,  cheered,  instructed,  by  the  very  con- 
tact, and  to  find  in  the  atmosphere  in  which 
they  dwell  the  radiance  and  perfume  of 
heaven.  And  if  they  could  find  it  so,  they 
would  keep  alive  their  own  ardor,  they  would 
persevere  to  realize  their  own  exalted  con- 
ceptions. But  they  find  it  otherwise.  The 
image  which  they  had  conceived  in  their  own 
minds  of  what  the  Christian  man  ought  to  be  — 
an  image  whose  features  were  all  drawn  from 
the  life  and  teaching  of  the  Great  Master  — 
is  not  at  all  realized  in  the  world.  Nobody 
acts  up  to  it.  Nobody  seems  to  have  it  in 
mind.  The  common  standard  is  wholly  below 
it ;  and  these  young  beginners  find  them- 
selves alone,  with  an  idea  and  purpose  of  a 
perfection  which  the  more  experienced  smile 
upon  as  the  extravagant  dream  of  youth,  which 
a  few  more  days  will  show  them  to  be  imprac- 
ticable in  such  a  world  as  this.  Thus  the 
actual  state  of  religious  feeling  chills  the 
early  blossoms  of  their  religious  characters  ; 
they   find    that    much    less    than   they   had 


CHRISTIAN    LIFE.  21 

imagined  is  thought  sufficient  by  the  older 
and  wiser  disciples,  who  must  know  much 
better  than  themselves ;  that  it  is  by  no  means 
requisite  to  follow  Christ  so  nearly,  or  wor- 
ship God  so  exclusively,  as  they  had  fancied  ; 
they  discover  that,  in  fact,  they  have  made  as 
great  attainments  already  as  the  world  would 
bear ;  to  proceed  further  would  be  only  to 
become  singular  :  so  they  change  their  pur- 
pose, and  remain  where  they  are ;  unwilling 
to  be  better  than  others ;  satisfied  with  a 
measure  which  seems  to  satisfy  others,  and 
glad  to  learn  that  the  great  work  they  had 
undertaken  is  so  early  completed.  And  thus 
each  generation  does  its  utmost  to  repress 
the  aspiration  of  the  next,  and  to  keep  down 
the  standard  of  virtuous  attainment. 

So  powerful  is  the  example  of  the  society 
around  us,  and  such  the  influence  of  prevail- 
ing notions  to  modify  our  own,  that  few  have 
courage  or  perseverance  to  follow  the  inward 
suggestion  which  urges  them  to  rise  higher. 
So  that  a  distinguished  minister  gave  it  as 
his  earnest  advice  to  a  young  friend,  not  to 
allow  himself  to  be  ordained  as  pastor  of  any 
church  in  which  the  standard  of  life  was  not 


22  PROGRESS    OF    THE 

very  strict  and  high;  because,  as  he  urged, 
all  experience  shows  how  almost  impossible 
it  is  for  a  young  minister  to  escape  con- 
forming himself  to  the  sentiment  around  him, 
and  being  shaped  more  or  less  by  the  popular 
mould.  If  it  be  thus  to  be  apprehended  in 
the  case  of  one  all  whose  temporal  interests 
urge  him,  no  less  than  his  eternal,  to  rise  to 
the  MARK,  how  much  more  must  it  be  so 
with  ordinary  men,  who  are  less  protected  by 
the  circumstances  of  their  position,  and  the 
daily  duties  of  their  calling ! 

It  is,  therefore,  evidently,  one  of  the  first 
duties  of  the  young  Christian  to  settle  it  in 
his  mind  that  he  has  only  commenced  a  work 
which  is  to  be  going  on  as  long  as  he  shall 
exist.  Every  thing  in  the  example  and  ex- 
perience of  others  around  him  proves  how 
necessary  this  is,  for  it  proves  how  easily  he 
may  be  made  to  forget  it. 

There  are  also  some  mistaken  notions  re- 
specting religion  itself  which  may  lead  to  the 
same  error  ;  the  idea,  namely,  which  so  readily 
finds  a  welcome  in  the  mind  which  is  glow- 
ing with  the  first  happiness  of  its  early  faith, 
that  its  glow  cannot  fade  away;  that  things 


J 


CHRISTIAN    LIFE.  23 

will  always  appear  to  the  soul  just  as  they  do 
at  that  divine  moment;   that  the  new  taste 
is  fixed,  and  cannot  be  changed ;  that  it  will 
take  care  of  itself.    Hazardous  and  unfounded 
as  such  a  feeling  is,  it  is  yet  very  natural.     It 
'belongs  to  all  strong  emotion  to  have  faith  in 
its   own   perpetuity.     The  affections  always 
are  confident  that  they  never  shall  change ; 
and  we  always  fancy  that  the  grief,  or  love, 
or  indignation,  which  fills  our  bosoms  now, 
can  never  fade  from  them.     When,  therefore, 
we  are  awake  to  the  vivid  consciousness  of 
our  spiritual  relations,  and  are  overwhelmed 
with  those   various    and    mingling   emotions 
that  take  possession  of  the  excited  spirit,  and 
blend  therein  all  that  is  awful, tender,  joyous, 
and   serene  —  when    we    are    confident   that 
now,  at  last,  we  are  tasting  the  highest  gratifi- 
cation of  which   human  nature  is   capable, 
that  now,   at   last,  we    are   in    the  state   in 
which  man  ought  to  be,  —  a  state  in  which 
things  appear  as  they  are,  in  their  true  rela- 
tions and  proportions,  and  the  common  things 
of  the  world  take  rank  among  the  insignifi- 
cant   and  uninteresting,  —  we  cannot   doubt 
that  these,  the  truest,  will  be  the  lasting  feel- 
ings ;    we   cannot  conceive  it   possible   that 


24  PROGRESS    OF    THE 

any  thing  on  earth  should  ever  have  charm 
enough  to  entice  from  this  state ;  that  any  of 
the  things  which  we  now  know  to  be  inferior 
should  ever  be  able  to  withdraw  us  from  what 
we  now  know  to  be  supreme.  This  is  the 
hearty,  honest,  deeply-seated  conviction  within 
us.  This  is  the  conviction  which  occasions 
the  well-known  confidence  and  presumption 
of  young  converts,  which  prompts  to  their 
proverbial  forwardness  —  a  confidence  and 
forwardness  often  attributed  to  unworthy  mo- 
tives, and  spoken  of  to  their  discredit.  It 
may  not  be  creditable  to  them ;  yet  it  argues 
nothing  worse,  perhaps,  than  self-ignorance. 
They  do  not  know  the  evanescent  character 
of  the  feelings,  the  deceitfulness  of  the  heart ; 
therefore  they  give  way  to  it;  they  trust 
themselves ;  they  spread  all  their  sails  to  the 
wind,  as  if  it  would  never  change ;  they  fancy 
themselves  established,  and  act  warmly  and 
boldly,  as  if  established.  But  this  glow  is 
necessarily  transient,  like  all  vehement  feel- 
ing; and  when  it  has  passed  away,  they  have 
no  abiding  principle  of  life  to  take  its  place 
and  keep  the  work  in  progress.  Other 
feelings  rise  up  in  the  midst  of  the  world ; 
the  brightness  of  the  spiritual  light  fades  from 


CHRISTIAN    LIFE.  25 

before  the  eye  of  the  soul,  and  there  is  no 
advancement  to  a  higher  perfection. 

Let  no  one,  therefore,  from  the  strength 
and  security  of  his  first  affections,  allow  him- 
self to  rest,  as  if  the  work  were  done.  It  is 
but  begun.  Let  him  settle  within  himself, 
deeply  and  sternly,  the  persuasion  that  it  is 
to  be  going  on  while  life  lasts.  For  want  of 
this  it  is  that  the  love  of  so  many  has  waxed 
cold,  and  that  so  many  who  put  their  hand 
to  the  plough  have  turned  back.  If  you 
would  persevere,  you  must  understand,  at  the 
outset,  the  necessity  of  perseverance.  You 
must  start  with  the  conviction  that  you  begin 
a  perpetual  progress. 

For  which  reason,  instead  of  looking  at 
the  state  of  society,  instead  of  conforming 
yourself  to  the  model  of  those  with  whom 
you  live,  study  into  the  nature  and  capacity 
of  your  soul,  your  destiny,  and  your  respon- 
sibility ;  imbue  your  mind  with  the  spirit  of 
your  immortal  faith,  and  the  influence  of 
the  character  of  your  holy  Master ;  and  from 
the  promptings  of  a  soul  thus  filled  and 
kindled,  act  out  Christianity  for  yourself;  — 
not  as  others  do,  nor  as  others  expect  you 
3 


26  PROGRESS    OF    THE 

to  do,  but  as  this  state  of  mind  impels  you. 
There  is  no  true  and  safe  course  but  to  be 
obedient  to  these  suggestions  of  a  mind 
which  has  faithfully  studied  for  itself  into  the 
doctrine  and  temper  of  the  divine  life.  These 
suggestions  are  to  it  as  the  instinct  of  its 
immortal  nature  —  as  unerring,  as  safe,  as  the 
instincts  of  the  lower  orders  of  beings.  Man's 
bodily  instincts  are  as  nothing,  for  his  bodily 
interests  are  of  little  moment,  and  in  pursuing 
them  he  has  no  need  of  an  infallible  guide. 
But  the  interests  of  his  undying  soul  are  of 
infinite  consequence :  in  his  search  for  them 
he  needs  an  infallible  guide;  and  that  guide 
he  has  in  the  promptings  of  his  own  mind, 
whenever  he  has  cultivated  it  with  the  deep 
study  of  truth  and  faith,  and  steeped  it  by 
faithful  contemplation  in  the  secrets  of  divine 
love  and  infinite  purity,  and  brought  it  into 
intimate  communion  with  the  Holy  Spirit  of 
God.  If  you  have  truly  acquainted  yourself 
with  your  Master  and  his  revelation,  —  if  you 
have  entered  into  their  spirit  with  your  whole 
soul,  —  then  act  yourself,  freely,  boldly,  and 
you  will  not  know  what  it  is  to  stop  short. 
This  very  action  will  be  progress. 


CHRISTIAN    LIFE.  27 


CHAPTER    II. 

ERRORS  NOTICED  AND  CORRECTED ESPE- 
CIALLY THE  ERROR  THAT  THE  CHRISTIAN 
LIFE  IS  NOT  TO  BE  TAKEN  UP  EXPRESSLY 
IS  NOT  TO  HAVE  A  MARKED  COM- 
MENCEMENT. 

Besides  the  causes  of  error  which  are 
hinted  at  in  the  preceding  chapter,  there  are 
others  still  more  worthy  of  consideration. 
Of  these  I  do  not  know  that  there  is  any 
more  common  or  more  detrimental  than  that 
which  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter.  It  is 
an  error  which  arises  naturally  from  the  cir- 
cumstances of  birth  and  education  in  a  Chris- 
tian land,  and  from  the  idea  that  under  such 
circumstances  the  Christian  character  grows 
up  of  course,  just  as  the  social  does,  and  per- 
haps as  part  of  the  social.  It  differs  from 
that  before  mentioned  in  this,  that,  while  that 
supposed  the  Christian  character  something 
to  be  formed  by  a  certain  process  in  a  certain 
time, — to  be  done  by  the  job   and  finished 


28  PROGRESS    OF    THE 

at  once,  —  this  supposes  that  it  is  never  any 
thing  to  be  taken  up  as  a  distinct  subject  of 
attention,  or  to  be  made  an  express  concern ; 
but  is  to  be  left  to  take  care  of  itself,  under 
those  influences  to  which  all  are  subjected, 
and  beneath  which  it  will  grow  up  spontane- 
ously. This  is  a  common  error;  it  infects 
the  great  mass  of  nominal  Christians;  it 
deceives  and  paralyzes  even  conscientious 
men,  and  keeps  them  from  all  progress  by 
persuading  them  that  the  soul  will  grow  of 
itself,  as  the  body  does. 

This  error  is  so  widely  connected  with 
misapprehensions  respecting  the  origin  and 
nature  of  the  religious  life,  that  it  cannot  be 
fully  developed  without  a  wide  discussion. 
But  It  is  of  less  importance  thoroughly  to  do 
this,  than  to  exhibit  the  error  itself  It  has 
no  doubt  been  fostered  by  the  manner  in 
which  the  axiom  has  been  received,  that  all 
safe  progress  is  gradual,  that  whatever  is 
violent  and  sudden  is  unnatural  and  unsafe 
—  an  axiom  true  in  itself,  when  rightly  un- 
derstood, but  very  falsely  applied  in  the  pres- 
ent instance.  Is  not  the  progress  of  the 
day  gradual,  it  is  asked,   and    the  progress 


CHRISTIAN    LIFE.  29 

of  the  seasons  imperceptible  ?  Does  not  the 
seed  germinate  and  spring  forth  without  our 
being  able  to  detect  or  trace  it ;  growing 
night  and  day,  we  know  not  how ;  first  the 
blade,  then  the  ear,  and  then  the  full  corn  in 
the  ear  ?  Are  not  all  the  beneficent  oper- 
ations of  Providence  and  nature  thus?  — 
never  rapid,  vehement,  instantaneous,  but 
always  gentle,  quiet,  gradual?  And,  satis- 
fied with  this  analogy,  we  sit  down  to  wait 
the  advancement  of  our  character,  just  as  we 
wait  the  progress  of  the  season ;  as  if  we  had 
only  to  sit  and  wait ;  to  do  nothing  to  hasten 
or  retard  it;  as  if  its  course  was  onward  as 
inevitably  as  fate.  We  do  not  perceive  that 
we  advance ;  but  no  matter :  who  sees  the 
sun  advance  on  the  dial-plate  ?  We  have  no 
consciousness  of  being  in  motion  ;  but,  then, 
who  sees  the  motion  of  the  planets,  or  the 
increase  of  the  blade  of  corn?  We  are 
making  no  efforts :  certainly  not;  for  a  growth, 
to  be  healthy,  must  not  be  forced.  Who 
would  have  the  sickly  and  short-lived  prod- 
uce of  the  hotbed  ? 

But  even  if  we  chose  to  follow  strictly  the 
analogy  between  the  insensible  universe  and 
3* 


30  PROGRESS    OF    THE 

the  living  moral  soul,  this  mode  of  reasoning 
is  unjustifiable.  If  we  do  not  see  the  day 
come  forward  with  our  eyes,  we  perceive 
clearly,  after  an  interval,  that  it  has  come 
forward;  and  though  our  keenest  sight  does 
not  detect  the  growth  of  the  plant,  we  yet  do 
see  that  it  has  grown ;  and  we  should  be  ex- 
tremely unhappy  if  the  opening  dawn  should 
become  stationary,  or  the  grain  and  fruit 
should  pause  in  the  process  of  ripening. 
But  those  of  whom  I  speak  feel  no  uneasiness 
at  the  perception  that  their  characters  have 
become  stationary;  they  are  not  troubled 
when,  at  the  greatest  intervals,  they  still  find 
that  they  have  gained  nothing.  All  is  made 
quiet  in  their  conscience  at  once  by  the  sov- 
ereign pacifier,  "O,  we  are  not  to  expect 
great  results :  improvement  must  be  gradual ; 
the  more  gradual,  the  more  sure." 

Has  not  this  lamentable  result  been  en- 
couraged in  many  minds  by  the  expression 
of  a  very  eminent  writer  of  great  influence  ? 
—  **  that  our  Christian  congregations  contain 
two  classes :  to  the  one  must  be  preached 
conversion,  to  the  other  improvement  "  —  an 
altogether  just  remark,  which  commends  itself 


CHRISTIAN    LIFE.  31 

at  once  to  every  man's  approbation.  But 
how  easily  misapplied  !  Every  one,  on  hear- 
ing it,  bethinks  himself,  of  which  class  is  he  ? 
"  I  do  not  need  conversion  ;  I  have  been  re- 
ligiously educated ;  always  attended  church, 
always  read  my  Bible,  always  accounted  my- 
self a  Christian;  I  only  need  improvement. 
My  case,  then,  is  safe;  I  am  on  the  right 
side,  and  of  course  it  will  be  for  my  interest 
to  improve ;  in  fact,  considering  the  advan- 
tages amidst  which  I  live,  I  cannot  fail  to 
improve :  'tis  not  in  the  nature  of  man  to 
live  under  such  excellent  preaching  and  with 
such  facilities  for  reading  and  worship,  and 
yet  not  improve."  Thus  perfectly  satisfied 
with  his  situation  and  with  himself,  he  folds 
his  arms  and  does  nothing.  The  current 
floats  him  along,  and  he  does  not  dream  that 
it  can  be  to  any  other  than  the  true  haven. 

If  I  should  address  such  persons,  I  would 
ask  them  if  they  do  not  presume  too  much, 
when  they  thus  take  it  for  granted  that  they 
do  not  need  conversion.  Does  it  by  any 
means  follow,  because  they  have  been  edu- 
cated under  Christian  institutions,  that  they 
have  availed  themselves  of  them,  and  become 


32  PROGRESS    OF    THE 

Christians?  Because  they  have  been  taught 
to  read  the  Bible  from  their  childhood,  does 
it  follow  that  the  spirit  of  that  holy  book  has 
formed  their  characters  ?  Certainly  this  can- 
not be  pretended.  One  may  be  brought  up 
in  the  very  recesses  of  the  sanctuary,  and  yet 
be  as  corrupt  as  an  abandoned  heathen ;  may 
believe  that  Christianity  is  from  heaven,  as 
the  Hindoo  believes  that  his  ancestral  faith 
is  divine,  and  be  in  heart  addicted  to  all  that 
is  unchristian.  History  and  observation  tell 
of  but  too  many  who  have  contended  for  the 
faith,  and  yet  who  had  checked  no  desire, 
controlled  no  passion,  at  its  bidding.  It  is 
not,  therefore,  impossible  that  many  decent 
men  may  have  been  brought  up  amongst  us 
to  honor  Christianity,  who  yet  are  far  from 
being  imbued  with  its  spirit ;  that  many  may 
have  a  respect  for  its  precepts  and  a  jealous 
attachment  to  its  forms,  and  yet  be  governed 
at  heart  by  principles  which  it  would  disap- 
prove. Doubtless  there  are  many  such  :  they 
are  willing  to  count  themselves  its  friends; 
they  are  proud  to  number  themselves  among 
its  supporters ;  and,  being  thus  Christians 
by    birth,   claim    the    right   to    be   esteemed 


CHRISTIAN    LIFE.  33 

Christians  indeed.  But  in  order  to  be  Chris- 
tians indeed,  they  must  be  religious  men ; 
and  religious  men  they  are  not :  they  need 
to  be  converted  to  the  influence  of  the  faith 
they  honor ;  from  the  worldliness  which  gov- 
erns them,  to  the  personal  experience  of  the 
power  of  the  truth,  which  as  yet  is  a  dead 
letter  to  them.  They  think  they  need  only 
to  go  on  :  alas !  they  have  not  yet  begun. 
They  have  the  very  first  step  to  take.  They 
have  the  commencement  to  make. 

Is  it  not  to  be  feared  that  many  are  living 
and  dying  amongst  us  in  this  very  condition  ? 
Is  there  not  a  quieting  and  deceptive  influence 
in  much  of  what  passes  for  religious  senti- 
ment amongst  us,  producing  the  feeling  that 
we  have  all  begun  —  we  have  all  entered  the 
path  of  life  —  we  have  only  to  go  on  ?  But  it 
is  not  true  that  all  have  begun.  How,  then, 
can  it  be  otherwise  than  dangerous  to  entreat 
all  to  go  on  ?  How  can  they  advance  if  they 
have  not  commenced  1  There  can  be  no 
true  and  satisfactory  progress  unless  we  are 
sure  that  we  have  made  a  beginning,  and  a 
right  beginning. 

Now,  the  great  error  is,  that  men  are  con- 


34  PROGRESS    OF    THE 

tent  without  any  proof  that  they  have  made 
a  beginning.  They  are  willing  to  assume 
this  important  and  all-essential  fact  as  a  thing 
of  course. 

They  were  born  in  a  Christian  land ;  they 
believe  Christianity  divine;  they  are  pretty 
good  men ;  they  trust,  through  God's  mercy, 
they  shall  be  saved.  But  this  does  not  prove 
that  they  have  in  any  proper  sense  com- 
menced the  Christian  life.  What  are  their 
ruling  principles  ?  On  what  rest  their  affec- 
tions? Where  are  their  motives,  desires,  and 
to  what  are  their  self-sacrifices  offered  ?  Get 
an  honest  reply  to  these  questions,  and  you 
find  that  the  world  still  rules  them.  A  faith 
in  things  spiritual,  and  a  supreme  surrender 
to  God,  they  as  yet  know  not.  They  have  a 
beginning  yet  to  make. 

I  hold  it  to  be  clear  that  no  man  can  have 
done  so  important  a  thing  as  to  resolutely 
take  up  the  Christian  law  for  his  guide, 
without  a  consciousness  afterwards  that  he 
has  at  some  time  distinctly  done  so.  It  is  a 
very  momentous  act  in  a  man's  life  when  he 
assumes  the  obligations  and  responsibilities 
of  the   word  of  Christ,  and  says,  "  For  this 


CHRISTIAN    LIFE.  35 

Master  I  live  and  die."  He  must  know  that 
he  has  done  it.  It  is  not  a  thing  to  be  taken 
for  granted  —  to  be  supposed.  The  bear- 
ings of  this  faith  on  his  daily  life  in  a  thou- 
sand ways  —  its  applications  to  his  temper, 
his  thoughts,  his  will,  his  habits  of  living  and 
speech  —  are  too  direct  and  palpable  to  leave 
any  doubt  on  the  subject.  The  struggle 
between  this  spirit  of  allegiance  to  conscience 
and  faith,  and  the  fleshly  appetites  and  worldly 
principles;  the  trials,  and  falls,  and  recov- 
eries, and  shame,  and  joy,  and  all  the  vari- 
ous tumults  of  mind  and  heart,  which  the 
Christian  pilgrimage  implies,  are  all  too  dis- 
tinct, too  deeply  felt,  too  strongly  marked, 
to  be  forgotten,  or  to  allow  room  for  conjec- 
ture, supposition,  or  any  testimony  but  the 
heart's  own  consciousness.  Many,  very  many, 
have  been  so  situated  in  early  life,  and  have 
been  so  formed  by  influences  exclusively  of 
the  world,  that  they  can  at  no  time  come  to 
a  Christian  life  without  most  conspicuous 
and  absolute  change — a  disruption  of  former 
ties,  a  more  or  less  painful  abandonment  of 
former  habits,  a  strange  and  entire  alteration 
of  the  favorite  and  ruling  desires.     Educated 


36  PROGRESS    OF    THE 

as  most  persons  are,  it  is  impossible  that  they 
should  otherwise  arrive  at  the  Christian  life ; 
and  this  change  is  an  era  to  be  remembered. 
It  leaves  deep  marks  on  the  history.  And 
as  for  others,  vt^ho  have  been  favored  with  a 
more  propitious  lot,  and  whose  minds  have 
received  the  sanctifying  influence  of  truth 
from  the  cradle,  drinking  in  divine  knowl- 
edge with  their  daily  discipline,  and  imbued 
with  the  temper  of  Heaven  through  the  power 
of  the  society  and  teaching  of  their  early 
guides,  —  they,  too,  cannot  have  confirmed 
their  early  impressions  excepting  through 
efforts  and  struggles ;  they  must  evidently 
Tcnow ;  it  cannot  be  left  to  them  to  take  for 
granted.  They  may  have  the  most  infallible 
proof  that  they  have  actually  made  a  begin- 
ning. 

But  as  for  the  great  class  of  those  who 
can  produce  neither  of  these  proofs,  how  can 
they  proceed  ?  They  are  grossly  self-de- 
ceived. Their  trust  and  hope  are  altogether 
without  foundation. 

No  wonder  that  they  are  content  without 
progress.  After  assuming,  without  evidence, 
that  they  are  Christians,  it  is  a  small  thing  to 


CHRISTIAN    LIFE.  37 

add  the  assumption  that  they  move  while  they 
stand  still. 

Here,  therefore,  I  propose  to  my  readers, 
that  they  institute  a  solemn  and  thorough 
self-examination.  Let  each  inquire  and  know 
whether  he  is  one  of  this  very  extensive  class, 
who  thus  easily  imagine  themselves  to  be 
something  when  they  are  nothing.  If  he  has 
never  yet  doubted  on  the  subject,  nor  rigor- 
ously inquired,  he  has  reason  for  apprehen- 
sion. Let  him  dwell  no  longer  in  uncer- 
tainty, or  content  himself  with  conjecture. 
Let  him  ascertain  whether  he  has  actually 
made  a  religious  beginning.  If  not,  let  him 
waste  no  time  in  studying  how  to  make  ad- 
vancement. He  has  an  earlier  and  more  im- 
portant work  —  to  remove  away  all  the  heavy 
rubbish  which,  through  his  self-deception  and 
long  blindness,  has  been  accumulating  about 
him,  and  lay  in  earnest  the  foundation  of  a 
hearty  faith,  and  a  holy,  heavenly  character. 
If  he  is  not  sure  that  he  has  already  begun 
the  Christian  life,  let  him  begin  now,  to-day, 
with  a  prayerful  determination,  with  a  de- 
voted purpose,  with  a  heartfelt  self-consecra- 
tion to  God,  and  Christ,  and  duty.  Let  him 
4 


38  PROGRESS    OP    THE 

leave  this  great  matter  no  longer  in  suspense, 
this  most  momentous  question  no  longer  open, 
but  let  him  bring  his  real  character  and  his 
hidden  motives  into  the  light  —  the  clear 
light  of  truth  —  by  taking  devoutly  and  res- 
olutely the  first  grand  step,  by  performing  the 
initiatory  act  of  intelligently,  distinctly,  and 
with  a  single  heart,  dedicating  himself  to 
the  service  of  his  heavenly  Master. 


CHRISTIAN    LIFE.  39 


CHAPTER  III. 

ERRORS  NOTICED  AND  CORRECTED ESPE- 
CIALLY THE  ERROR  OF  THOSE  WHO  FANCY 
THAT  THE  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  MAY  BE  SUS- 
TAINED   WITHOUT    THE    USE    OF    MEANS. 

I  HAVE  endeavored  to  expose  the  mistake 
of  those  who  dream  that  the  religious  life 
has  no  beginning.  I  now  turn  to  those  who 
fancy  that  it  may  be  sustained  and  supported 
without  the  use  of  means. 

In  stating  their  error  thus,  there  is  absurd- 
ity on  its  very  face,  so  great  that  it  may  be 
supposed  impossible  for  any  one  to  maintain 
such  a  position.  And  perhaps  to  the  full 
extent  none  will  venture  to  maintain  it  in 
terms,  though  we  certainly  hear  language 
which  very  nearly  approaches  the  statement 
I  have  made,  and  daily  witness  conduct  which 
is  consistent  with  no  other  principle  than 
that  which  such  a  statement  involves.  In 
fact,  it  is  the  tendency  of  the  speculations 
and  the  practice  of  the  day  to  make  light  of 


40  PROGRESS    OF    THE 

forms,  to  undervalue  modes  of  operation,  to 
speak  of  times,  persons,  places,  ceremonies, 
as  unessential,  material,  instrumental,  —  as 
crutches  for  the  lame,  leading-strings  for  the 
weak,  guides  for  babes,  —  quite  necessary  to 
those  who  are  so  far  wedded  to  the  body  that 
it  clogs  and  impedes  their  minds,  but  wholly 
unnecessary  to  the  soul  itself;  in  fact,  as 
badges  of  an  inferior  condition,  as  marks  of 
spiritual  backwardness,  as  the  remnants  of 
an  earthly  dispensation,  and  relics  of  the 
infancy  of  our  race,  which  are  fast  becom- 
ing unnecessary  in  this  enlightened  age,  and 
which  the  truly  enlightened  had  best  dis- 
pense with  at  once. 

There  is  a  good  deal  of  loose  thinking  and 
talking  of  this  sort.  It  is  founded  on  a  mis- 
apprehension of  the  real  nature  of  the  ad- 
vancement of  man  in  the  present  world ;  as 
if  cultivation  and  religion  were  making  an 
actual  change,  not  in  his  condition  and  ad- 
vantages, but  his  very  nature ;  relieving  him 
of  his  dependence  on  the  body,  the  senses, 
and  the  material  world.  Whereas,  evidently, 
he  must  retain  still  his  connection  with  them, 
his  relation  to  thera^  and  must  be  affected  by 


CHRISTIAN    LIFE. 


41 


them  in  his  desires,  appetites,  habits,  enjoy- 
ments, character  —  must  act  through  them, 
and  be  acted  on  by  them ;  and  so  long  as 
this  is  so,  it  is  perfectly  impossible  that  he 
should  be  able  to  maintain  a  purely  spiritual 
existence,  or  to  advance  his  spiritual  charac- 
ter, without  aid  from  abroad.  While  this 
connection  with  the  outward  world  perpet- 
ually operates  on  him  to  affect  his  temper 
and  distract  his  affections,  it  is  necessary  to 
«jounteract  it  by  agents  and  contrivances 
which  also  operate  outwardly.  While,  every 
day,  appetite  must  be  indulged  at  stated  hours, 
business  done,  and  exciting  thoughts,  in- 
terests, and  passions  absorb  his  mind,  he 
must  every  day  have  stated  means  of  neutral- 
izing their  engrossing  and  infecting  power, 
or  they  will  obtain  the  mastery. 

How  it  may  be  when  the  soul  shall  be  sep- 
arated from  its  present  connection  with  the 
body,  we  do  not  know.  Perhaps  then  it  may 
go  on  a  course  of  holy  progress  without 
external  aid,  or  stated  help ;  though  the  Scrip- 
tures give  no  representations  which  warrant 
us  to  decide  peremptorily  that  it  is  so.  Cer- 
tainly it  is  not  so  now ;  and  they  who  fancy 
4* 


42  PROGRESS    OP    THE 

it  to  be  so,  are  taking  the  sure  method  to 
dwarf  their  own  stature  and  chill  their  devout 
affections. 

There  is,  undoubtedly,  a  distinction  to  be 
made  between  religion  and  the  means  of  reli- 
gion —  a  distinction,  the  want  of  attention  to 
which  has  led  to  great  abuses,  and  been  the 
parent  of  fanaticism  and  superstition.  Forms 
and  ceremonies  have  been  exaggerated  into 
the  essentials  of  faith;  opinions  have  been 
made  to  take  the  place  of  character,  and  days 
and  observances  have  usurped  the  respect 
which  should  have  been  paid  to  righteous- 
ness and  true  piety.  In  order  to  avoid  this 
error  of  times  past,  it  has  become  a  favorite 
notion  with  many,  that  religion  only,  should 
have  attention  and  honor  —  pure,  unmixed, 
unaccompanied  religion.  They  are  to  be- 
come religious ;  that  is  the  great  end ;  they 
are  to  form  perfect  characters.  Religion  does 
not  consist  in  saying  one's  prayers,  attending 
church,  observing  the  Sabbath,  sitting  at  the 
Lord's  table,  reading  the  Bible :  these  things 
are  not  religion.  One  may  do  all  these,  and 
yet  not  be  religious  —  men  have  done  all, 
scrupulously,  and  yet  been  reprobates.  These 


CHRISTIAN    LIFE.  43 

are  but  the  means;  and  if  one  be  but  a  reli- 
gious man  at  heart,  it  is  of  no  consequence 
whether  he  scrupulously  observe  these  means 
or  not.  Indeed,  he  had  best  avoid  any  ap- 
proach to  a  superstitious  regard  for  them ;  it 
would  belittle  him ;  it  is  best  to  have  a  great 
deal  of  freedom.  One  should  not  be  a  slave 
to  certain  hours ;  he  can  pray  at  any  time ; 
a  prayer  is  just  as  acceptable  at  the  work- 
bench, and  in  the  street,  as  at  the  altar ;  and 
every  day  ought  to  be  a  Sabbath;  one  day  has 
no  more  real  sacredness  than  another.  There 
is  great  danger  of  mistaking  the  means  for 
the  end  ;  we  will  pursue  the  end  only. 

Common  as  something  like  this  may  be  in 
the  thoughts  of  many  and  the  practice  of 
more,  it  is  yet  wholly  indefensible  as  a  mat- 
ter of  reasoning,  and  utterly  ruinous  when 
applied  to  practice.  Here  and  there  a  man 
may  be  found  who  can  live  on  these  princi- 
ples uninjured ;  but  they  are  extraordinary 
men  ;  the  great  majority  would  infallibly  be 
destroyed  by  them. 

They  lead  to  a  disregard  of  religious  ser- 
vices, which  will  extend,  in  too  many  in- 
stances, to  a  disregard  of  religion  itself,  and  will 


44  PROGRESS    OF    THE 

often  inevitably  cause  the  Christian  character 
to  fall  into  decay,  because  the  props  which 
are  necessary  to  support  it  are  removed.  So 
serious  an  evil  deserves  to  be  carefully  con- 
sidered. There  can  be  little  hope  of  general 
advancement  or  great  attainment  in  religion, 
when  such  opinions  are  prevalent. 

Let  it  be  considered,  therefore,  that  al- 
though, abstractly  and  strictly  speaking,  there 
may  be  an  essential  distinction  between  an 
end  to  be  gained  and  the  means  by  which  it 
is  to  be  gained,  for  all  practical  purposes 
there  is  no  difference  whatever.  If  the  result 
be  desirable,  and  can  be  attained  only  through 
a  certain  process,  that  process  is  of  precisely 
the  same  consequence  as  the  result.  If  the 
affair  be  one  of  duty  and  obligation,  the  obli- 
gation to  perform  the  process  is  as  absolutely 
binding  as  the  obligation  to  effect  the  result. 
If  I  desire  to  hold  an  eminent  rank  in  society, 
if  I  wish  to  be  a  promoter  of  human  good  in 
an  important  profession,  it  is  just  as  important 
that  I  should  pass  through  the  discipline  of 
that  preparatory  education  which  fits  for  the 
profession,  as  it  is  that  I  should  enter  on  that 
profession.     My  usefulness  and  eminence  de- 


CHRISTIAN    LIFE.  45 

pend  equally  upon  both.  It  is  not  enough^ 
in  order  to  the  arrival  of  a  steamship  at  a 
distant  city,  that  the  crew  be  at  their  posts, 
the  engineer  at  his  wheel,  and  the  machinery 
all  in  beautiful  order ;  the  boiler  must  be 
filled  and  the  fire  kindled ;  and  he  would  be 
a  stupid  commander  who  should  slight  these 
because  they  are  only  means  —  who  should 
say  that  his  object  was  to  arrive  at  the  city, 
and  he  was  not  to  be  busying  himself  about 
these  little  preliminaries  to  progress.  Yet  it 
would  be  hard  to  understand  how  there  is  any 
less  stupidity  in  those  who  fancy  themselves 
able  to  arrive  at  heaven,  while  they  slight  the 
appointed  means  of  proceeding  thither  as 
wholly  secondary  affairs.  I  ask,  "  Are  you  a 
student  of  the  Scriptures?  Do  you  daily  and 
statedly  pray?  Are  you  fond  of  frequenting 
occasions  of  religious  worship  ?  "  Your  an- 
swer is,  "  O,  no  !  religion  does  not  consist  in 
these  things.  I  am  only  careful  about  the 
great  end ;  that  is  all  which  I  need  to  regard." 
That  is  to  say,  so  long  as  you  are  resolved  to 
arrive  safely  at  the  end  of  your  journey,  it  is 
of  no  consequence  whether  the  water,  and 
the    wood,   and  the    fire,  be    applied  to   the 


46  PROGRESS    OF    THE 

boiler  or  not !  "  But,"  I  add,  "  one  would 
imagine  that  your  own  feelings  would  prompt 
you  to  join  in  these  religious  observances 
and  acts  —  that  your  own  religious  state  of 
mind  and  heart  would  lead  you  to  take  plea- 
sure in  them."  "  Why,  yes,  sometimes,  now 
and  then ;  and  then  it  is  well  enough  to  at- 
tend and  use  them.  But  unless  one  happens 
to  be  disposed  to  engage  in  them,  it  is  not 
worth  while  to  do  so.  It  is  only  the  great 
end  which  I  am  anxious  about."  "  And 
thus,"  I  reply,  "  caring  only  for  the  accom- 
plishment  of  your  voyage,  you  have  no  rule 
but  your  inclinations  to  decide  when  you 
shall  feed  the  fire  which  is  to  carry  you  on." 
One  would  be  glad  to  ask  of  the  great  men 
who  have  blessed  the  world  with  their  light 
and  action  in  any  department  of  usefulness  — 
especially  one  would  like  to  ask  of  the  apos- 
tles and  reformers  —  how  this  doctrine  would 
have  operated  in  their  case,  and  where  the 
world  would  have  been  if  they  had  been  be- 
guiled by  it — if  Paul,  instead  of  his  jour- 
neyings  and  toils  that  he  might  preach  the 
gospel,  and  establish  and  organize  churches, 
and  so  save  men's  souls  and  extend  the  king- 


CHRISTIAN    LIFE.  47 

dom  of  Christ  in  the  world,  had  thought  within 
himself,  "Preaching,  and  worship,  and  the 
Christian  community,  are  only  the  means  of 
salvation ;  they  are  but  secondary  things  in 
comparison  with  salvation  :  salvation,  salva- 
tion, that  is  the  great,  prime,  all-absorbing 
consideration ;  and  why  should  I  be  wearing 
out  my  life  on  the  mere  means  ?  "  —  or  if 
Luther  and  the  other  men  that  have  moved 
the  world  with  their  doctrine  had  sat  silent 
on  the  happy  suggestion  that  preaching  is 
not  religion  —  religion  is  the  great  thing  to 
be  regarded?  And  yet,  where  is  the  man 
who  can  show  that  it  would  have  been  more 
absurd  in  them  thus  to  have  forsaken  the 
preaching  of  the  gospel,  and  the  gathering  of 
assemblies,  than  it  is  in  any  private  man  to 
forsake  the  hearing  of  the  word  on  the  same 
pretence  1 

And  yet  there  are  men  who  practise  and 
defend  this  unspeakable  absurdity !  They 
think  themselves  good  Christians,  and  yet 
waste  the  hours  of  the  Sabbath,  are  slack  in 
their  attendance  on  public  worship,  almost 
strangers  to  the  Bible,  without  worship  in 
their  families,  and  without  stated  prayer  in 


48 


PROGRESS    OF    THE 


their  closets;  and,  if  you  expostulate  with 
them,  very  soberly  reply,  that  these  things  do 
not  constitute  religion ;  they  care  only  for  re- 
ligion itself  And  thus  there  is  not  one  of  the 
means  appointed  for  and  essential  to  religious 
establishment  and  growth  which  is  not  put 
by  on  this  plea. 

It  is  evident  enough,  I  think,  that  these 
means,  if  not  parts  of  religion,  are  yet  essen- 
tial to  it.  But  I  go  still  farther.  I  ask  if  it 
be  so  unquestionable,  as  appears  to  be  taken 
for  granted,  that  they  are  not  parts  of  religion. 
Is  it  so  clear  that  the  reading  of  the  Scrip- 
tures, acts  of  devotion,  and  attendance  on 
the  ordinances,  are  not  essentially,  and  in 
their  own  nature,  parts  of  religion  as  well  as 
means  ?  Let  us  look  at  this.  What  is  reli- 
gion 1  Strictly  speaking,  it  is  something  in- 
visible, intangible,  immaterial  —  which  has 
no  shape,  and  is  not  cognizable  by  any  hu- 
man sense.  Practically  speaking,  it  is  a  cer- 
tain character  —  that  state  of  mind,  heart, 
and  character,  which  become  the  relation  in 
which  a  man  stands  to  God.  Now,  I  ask, 
what  is  that  state  of  mind,  heart,  or  character, 
without  the  expression  of  it  ?     Is  not  the  ex- 


CHRISTIAN    LIFE.  49 

pression  of  it,  properly  speaking,  a  part  of  it? 
Can  we  say  that  there  is  character  where 
there  is  no  manifestation  of  it  ?  If  we  were 
consulting  philosophical  exactness  of  terms 
perhaps  this  might  be  disputed ;  but  so  far  as 
regards  real  life  and  the  common  judgment 
of  men,  it  is  doubtless  correct.  We  know 
nothing  of  real  benevolence  of  heart,  if  in 
no  way  manifested  —  nothing  of  uprightness 
and  strength  of  character  —  nothing  of  intel- 
lectual power  —  except  so  far  as  expressed; 
and  this  expression  is  always  regarded  as  part 
of  the  character  itself;  it  is  the  character 
acting. 

Now,  religion  is  a  certain  state  of  mind, 
heart,  and  character;  but  if  there  be  no  man- 
ifestation of  this  state  in  action,  neither  the 
individual  himself  nor  other  men  could  be 
assured  of  its  existence  and  reality.  But  what 
are  the  expressions,  what  the  manifestations, 
of  religion  ?  The  most  natural,  perhaps  the 
most  spontaneous,  the  most  indubitable,  is 
prayer.  It  is  the  expression  of  the  religious 
heart  to  its  God.  It  is  the  language  of  the 
devout  mind.  It  is  the  action  of  the  pious 
spirit.  I  cannot  conceive,  therefore,  that  any 
5 


50  PROGRESS    OF    THE 

one  should  esteem  prayer  simply  a  means  of 
religion.  It  is  a  part  of  religion.  It  is  an 
inalienable  concomitant.  And  it  is  repre- 
sented, throughout  the  Scriptures,  more  fre- 
quently as  an  essential  act  of  religion, — 
inseparable  from  and  inherent  in  a  devout 
character,  —  than  as  a  means  of  increasing 
the  devotional  temper,  or  of  spiritual  im- 
provement. 

The  same  is  true  concerning  the  Chris- 
tian ordinances.  To  express  faith  and  new- 
ness of  spirit  by  baptism,  and  to  commune 
with  the  Savior  at  his  table,  are  in  them- 
selves religious  actions.  To  read  the  Scrip- 
tures, and  devoutly  meditate  on  the  truth  of 
God,  and  worship  in  his  house,  and  listen  to 
the  preaching  of  his  word,  are  religious  acts, 
expressions  of  a  religious  character,  no  less 
than  means  of  increasing  in  Christian  knowl- 
edge and  holiness. 

It  is,  therefore,  far  from  true  that,  in  neg- 
lecting religious  observances,  we  merely  post- 
pone the  means  to  the  end.  They  constitute, 
in  their  very  nature,  parts  of  that  which  we 
seek  to  achieve.  They  are  natural  express 
sions,  manifestations,  of  the  religious  charac- 


CHRISTIAN    LIFE.  51 

ter ;  and  one  can  hardly  be  authorized  in 
imagining  himself  to  possess  that  character, 
if  it  do  not  thus  display  itself. 

If  it  be  still  said  that  one  may  make  his 
selection  from  these  means,  and  use  those 
which  best  suit  his  own  case  and  satisfy  his 
own  want,  it  may  be  replied,  Undoubtedly 
he  may  find  greater  edification  in  some  than 
in  others,  and  to  such  he  may  with  peculiar 
interest  apply.  But  he  can  hardly  think  him- 
self at  liberty  to  slight  any,  so  long  as  all 
have  been  appointed  by  God,  and  are  regarded 
as  part  of  man's  service  to  him;  so  long, 
too,  as  each  of  them  is  only  another  mode  of 
giving  expression  to  that  spirit  which  he  pro- 
fesses to  desire  to  cultivate,  and  which  he 
ought  to  find  pleasure  in  expressing. 

If  these  things  be  so,  every  man's  duty  be- 
comes plain,  and  he  can  live  in  neglect  of  it 
only  at  the  hazard  of  a  great  absurdity,  which 
casts  his  soul  into  fearful  peril. 


52  PROGRESS    OF    THE 


CHAPTER    IV. 

THE  YOUNG  CHRISTIAN  PUT  ON  HIS  GUARD 
AGAINST  THE  HINDERANCE  TO  PROGRESS 
WHICH  ARISES  FROM  DISAPPOINTMENT  RE- 
SPECTING THE  ENJOYMENT  OF  A  RELIGIOUS 
LIFE. 

Among  the  hinderances  against  which  the 
young  Christian  may  need  to  be  put  on  his 
guard,  we  may  mention,  next,  that  arising 
from  false  expectations  respecting  the  enjoy- 
ment of  a  religious  life.  The  opening  views 
of  a  religious  existence  are  like  those  of 
youth,  bright  with  vague  anticipations  of  the 
future,  full  of  gay  dreams,  romantic  and  vis- 
ionary expectations.  It  is  the  youth  of  the 
soul,  excited,  ardent,  confident,  and  painting 
the  future  in  colors  too  uniformly  gorgeous  to 
be  true.  Not  that  any  extravagance  of  ex- 
pectation can  exceed  the  actual  happiness 
which  the  Christian  realizes  in  his  estab- 
lished faith.  Young  Christians  do  not,  for 
they  cannot,  expect  too  much ;  but  they  ex- 


CHRISTIAN    LIFE.  53 

pect  —  as  the  Scripture  says  "they  ask  — 
amiss J^  They  err  as  to  the  nature  more  than 
as  to  the  degree  of  enjoyment.  They  look  for 
it  in  excitement,  in  strong  emotion,  in  ecstasy, 
in  rapture.  They  expect  to  be  forever  in  the 
same  glowing  frame  of  bliss  in  which  they 
are  now,  while  the  subject  is  all  new  and  their 
feelings  all  fresh.  The  scales  have  just  fallen 
from  their  eyes,  the  light  has  broken  in  upon 
their  souls  for  the  first  time,  and  the  scene 
that  bursts  upon  their  view  is  that  of  Elysium. 
They  have  no  idea  that  familiarity  can  ever 
render  it  less  beautiful,  or  dull  in  any  degree 
the  emotion  with  which  they  gaze  upon  it. 
But  it  is  a  universal  and  inexorable  law  of 
nature,  that  familiarity  tames  the  passionate- 
ness  with  which  any  object  is  regarded.  The 
excitement  of  feeling  goes  down.  The  ex- 
altation and  frenzy  of  the  mind  subside. 
The  pleasure  may  continue,  but  the  rapture 
ceases. 

He,  therefore,  who  proceeds  to  cultivate 
his  religious  nature  under  the  expectation 
that  it  is  to  yield  him  a  perpetual,  sensible 
joy,  is  sure  to  be  disappointed.  It  is  not  the 
nature  of  the  mind  to  be  capable  of  perpet- 
5* 


64  PROGRESS    OF    THE 

ual,  unintermitted  joy.  In  all  cases  in  which 
the  mind  is  wrought  up  to  a  high  pitch  of 
excitement,  one  of  two  consequences  always 
results  —  either  it  becomes  weary,  and  the  in- 
terest of  the  subject  is  worn  out  by  the  in- 
tenseness  of  the  action,  —  and  this  often 
happens  in  religion,  where  a  most  passionate 
devotion  for  a  season  ends  in  coldness,  indif- 
ference, and  worldliness,  —  or  else,  the  excite- 
ment being  modified  and  controlled  by  reason 
and  principle,  the  mind  settles  down  into  a 
quiet,  steadfast,  gentle,  and  equable  condi- 
tion, without  ecstasy,  but  full  of  content. 
And  this,  too,  is  what  we  see  in  daily  exam- 
ples of  the  judicious  and  confirmed  believers. 
Many  are  made  greatly  unhappy,  and  fall 
mto  grievous  despondency,  for  want  of  duly 
considering  this.  They  find  erelong  that 
their  frame  of  mind  sinks.  Not  only  have 
they  no  rapture,  but  they  perceive  with  horror 
that  occasionally  even  a  lethargy  of  feeling 
comes  over  them,  as  if  they  had  fairly  ex- 
hausted the  excitability  of  their  mind.  They 
read  and  pray  with  a  calmness  which  fright- 
ens them  —  a  calmness  they  in  vain  try  to 
agitate ;  and  whereas  they  were  shortly  before 


CHRISTIAN    LIFE.  55 

lifted  to  the  third  heavens  with  delight,  they 
now  stand  unmoved,  as  if  the  very  pulse  of 
celestial  life  had  stopped.  The  contrast  ap- 
pals them.  They  fancy  themselves  deserted 
of  God  and  all  goodness.  They  feel  them- 
selves abandoned  and  lost,  and  are  ready  to 
sink  in  consternation  and  despair.  They  had 
imagined,  in  their  hours  of  exalted  musing, 
that  the  love  of  the  world  was  subdued ;  that 
the  power  of  its  fascination  was  gone ;  that 
its  follies  and  lusts,  its  pride  and  pleasures, 
having  been  seen  once  in  their  true  light, 
could  never  have  charms  for  them  again  ;  and 
that  the  sinful  feelings  they  had  formerly  ex- 
cited could  not  be  excited  by  them  again. 
But,  as  they  again  move  about  in  the  actual 
scenes  of  the  world,  they  find  it  far  other- 
wise. The  desires  and  appetites  which  they 
supposed  to  be  dead,  were  only  sleeping,  and 
they  suddenly  wake.  The  passions  and  sel- 
fishness which  they  supposed  subdued  spring 
up  vigorously,  and  would  break  their  chains, 
and  clamor  for  indulgence,  as  before,  and, 
perhaps,  in  some  unguarded  moment,  seize 
on  their  gratification.  All  this  astonishes 
and  alarms  them.     They  were    not  prepared 


56  PROGRESS    OF    THE 

for  it.  It  is  wholly  unexpected.  They  find 
themselves  deceived.  They  knovi^  not  how  to 
meet  it.  They  are  miserable.  Their  life  is 
wholly  a  different  one  from  that  which  they 
proposed  to  themselves  —  a  life  of  watching, 
self-denial,  and  anxiety,  when  they  had  been 
looking  for  nothing  but  peace  and  joy.  They 
are  disheartened,  and  perhaps  abandon  the 
path  which  promised  them  pleasantness  and 
peace,  but  has  yielded  them  weariness  and 
pain. 

It  becomes  important,  therefore,  that  the 
beginner  should  understand  the  nature  both 
of  Christian  duty  and  of  Christian  happiness, 
that  he  may  count  the  cost  before  he  begins, 
and  not  fail  through  false  and  unreasonable 
expectations. 

Let  him  consider,  then,  that  Christian  duty 
is  conformity  to  a  law,  and  Christian  happi- 
ness the  result  of  that  conformity.  This  law 
governs  the  affections,  as  well  as  the  conduct ; 
determines  the  whole  state  of  mind  and  feel- 
ing, as  well  as  of  life;  and  it  is  only  when 
mind  and  feeling  are  conformed  to  this  law 
that  the  man  is  in  the  way  of  Christian  duty, 
—  only  then,  therefore,  that  he  is  to  expect 


CHRISTIAN    LIFE.  57 

happiness.  And  what  happiness?  That  which 
belongs  to  the  consciousness  of  having  done 
duty  ;  that  which  grows  out  of  and  appertains 
to  the  state  of  mind  which  is  attained ;  — 
and  that  will  be,  of  course,  satisfaction,  con- 
tentment, rather  than  ecstasy.  The  con- 
sciousness of  being  right,  the  assurance  of 
the  favor  of  God,  —  these,  being  abiding  and 
habitual  impressions  on  the  mind,  are  likely 
to  produce  a  calm  peace,  rather  than  a  tu- 
multuous delight. 

Then  it  is  to  be  considered,  further,  that 
religion  operates  on  the  human  mind  upon 
similar  principles  with  other  subjects,  and  fol- 
lows the  laws  and  constitution  of  human  na- 
ture. If,  then,  in  respect  to  the  question  be- 
fore us,  the  analogy  of  the  other  affections 
shows  the  same  result,  we  ought  to  be  satis- 
fied. And  undoubtedly  it  is  so.  The  reli- 
gious affections  are  kindred  to  all  the  affec- 
tions. That  love  which  is  the  essence  of 
religion  is  the  same  love  which  exhibits  itself 
in  the  various  relations  of  man,  and  is  the 
source  of  the  purest  and  strongest  joys  of 
earth,  as  it  is  to  be  of  those  of  heaven.  How 
intense  and  fervent  the  love  of  a  mother  for 


58  PROGRESS    OF    THE 

her  child !  What  sacrifices  will  she  make 
for  it,  what  toils  endure,  and  how  readily 
does  her  heart  flatter  and  her  eye  overflow  ! 
Yet  there  are  times  when  that  strong  affec- 
tion seems  dead  in  her  bosom,  and  we  have 
often  heard  her  say  that  it  seemed  to  her  as 
if  she  had  no  feeling,  as  if  she  were  an  un- 
natural creature,  from  whom  all  natural 
affection  had  departed.  Yet,  meantime,  un- 
excited  as  she  is,  she  goes  resolutely  on, 
discharging  her  maternal  duties,  till  some  oc- 
casion calls  forth  again  the  floods  of  tender- 
ness. She  did  not  blame  herself — we  did 
not  blame  her  —  for  that  habitual  tranquillity 
of  feeling,  for  that  temporary  coldness;  — 
far  from  it.  The  cares  of  a  large  family 
never  could  go  on,  if  the  parent  were  agitated 
always  with  the  intense  feeling  toward  all  the 
children  which  is  the  real  measure  of  her  love 
for  each ;  and  we  know  that  she  gives  as  gen- 
uine proof  of  her  affection  where  the  work 
she  does  for  them  takes  her  thoughts  away 
from  them,  when  she  forgets  them  for  a  sea- 
son, because  she  is  so  busy  for  their  good,  as 
when  she  overwhelms  them  with  caresses  and 
tears. 


CHRISTIAN    LIFE.  59 

So,  too,  the  father  of  the  household.  He 
leaves  them  in  the  morning,  is  absorbed  with 
the  toilsome  cares  of  his  business,  and  may 
not  be  distinctly  conscious  of  a  thought  or 
emotion  going  back  to  them  during  the  day. 
Is  it  proved,  then,  that  he  does  not  love 
them?  Time  was,  when  the  image  of  her 
who  is  now  the  mother  of  his  children  haunt- 
ed him  like  a  dream,  mingled  with  all  his 
thoughts,  could  not  be,  would  not  be,  ban- 
ished from  his  mind :  it  was  like  a  light  about 
him  wherever  he  went,  and  a  bliss  in  his 
thoughts  however  he  was  employed ;  and  thus 
his  love  was  one  perpetual  living  rapture. 
Because  it  is  so  no  longer,  does  he  therefore 
love  her  the  less?  Nay,  he  loves  her  the 
more,  —  with  a  sober,  steadfast,  habitual  con- 
fidence and  affection,  which  has  lost  its  pas- 
sion, but  has  become  an  essential  portion  of 
his  being,  —  intrudes  on  him  less,  but  in  its 
calmness  and  quietness  blesses  him  more.  It 
is  only  the  idle  dream  of  romance  which  ex- 
pects the  rapture  of  the  lover  to  be  perpetu- 
ated in  the  sober  certainty  of  waking  bliss 
which  makes  the  happiness  of  home.  And 
so  of  all  the  affections.     The  religious  affec- 


60  PROGRESS    OP    THE 

tions  go  by  the  same  law.  When  newly 
awakened  and  fixed  on  the  great  realities  of 
God  and  eternity,  they  engross,  and  agitate, 
and  absorb  the  soul ;  there  is  no  room  for 
anjy  other  thought,  affection,  or  care ;  these 
fill  and  consume  the  whole  being.  But  by- 
and-by  the  heart  settles  into  a  state  of  tran- 
quillity ;  and  the  man,  occupied  in  obedience 
and  duty,  is  excited  less,  and  walks  with  his 
faith  as  an  old  and  familiar  friend. 

Let  it,  then,  be  no  discouragement  to  the 
religious  aspirant,  that  familiarity  with  his 
new  life  has  abstracted  something  from  the 
keen  relish  it  had  at  first.  Let  him  learn  to 
find  an  equal  satisfaction  in  the  moderate  and 
unexciting  life  of  tranquil  duty,  that  he  at 
first  found  in  the  strong  emotions  of  the  mind. 
Acceptance  with  God  depends  on  the  heart 
being  right  with  him ;  and  as  you  do  not 
judge  of  the  Tightness  of  your  child's  affec- 
tion toward  yourself  and  the  other  children 
by  its  vehemence  of  expression,  by  its  being 
easily  called  out  in  tears  and  vented  in  out- 
cries, but  rather  by  its  steady  and  unobtrusive 
watchfulness  for  your  wishes,  and  carefulness 
not  to  offend,  and  fidelity,  and  kindness,- 


CHRISTIAN    LIFE.  61 

SO  believe  that  the  great  Father  judges  of 
you,  and  approves  you  none  the  less  because 
the  strength  of  emotion  with  which  you  first 
came  to  him  has  subsided  into  an  equable 
confidence  and  uniform  obedience. 

And  here  I  cannot  refrain  from  saying  a 
few  words  in  relation  to  another  source  of 
discouragement,  which  often  operates  in  con- 
nection with  that,  to  the  consideration  of 
which  this  chapter  is  especially  devoted. 

The  Christian  is  very  frequently  disheart- 
ened, not  only  at  finding  less  excitement  and 
rapturous  enjoyment  in  the  religious  life  than 
he  expected,  but  also  at  not  discovering  such 
obvious  marks  of  progress  in  the  advancing 
stages  as  at  the  commencement.  But  it  is  a 
very  important  truth  for  him  who  is  going 
forward  in  the  Christian  life  to  remember, 
that  the  growth  of  character  follows,  in  many 
respects,  the  analogy  of  all  other  growth.  In 
its  beginnings  it  is  more  perceptible  ;  its  prog- 
ress in  its  first  stages  is  more  striking  :  an 
extraordinary  difference  is  in  a  very  short  time 
noticed,  after  a  man  has  positively  changed 
from  worldliness  to  religion.  But  the  suc- 
ceeding steps  become  by-and-by  less  percep- 
6 


62 


PROGRESS    OF    THE 


tible;  and  though  actual,  perhaps  equal  prog- 
ress may  be  made  in  a  more  advanced  state 
of  the  Christian  course,  yet  the  work  may 
seem  to  be  almost  stationary.  An  illustration 
of  this  may  be  found  in  the  different  appear- 
ances of  motion  in  the  rising  and  the  me- 
ridian sun ;  the  former  seeming  to  advance 
with  rapidity,  the  latter  hardly  to  move.  Or 
take,  for  comparison,  a  work  of  art,  a  paint- 
ing. The  artist  takes  a  blank  and  unmeaning 
canvass.  He  sketches  the  outlines  of  his 
beautiful  subject.  A  very  short  time  suffices 
to  exhibit  great  progress.  The  whole  form 
and  features  come  rapidly  into  view.  But,  as 
he  approaches  towards  the  finishing  of  his 
work,  he  labors  the  more  delicate  parts  —  he 
retouches,  refines,  perfects;  but.it  all  makes 
little  show  :  in  truth,  there  may  be  more  and 
more  careful  study,  and  anxious  toil,  and  the 
highest  efforts  of  his  genius,  and  yet  the 
amount  of  labor  and  thought,  and  the  degree 
of  improvement,  be  perceptible  to  none  but 
a  most  observing  and  practised  eye.  So  it  is 
with  the  Christian  character  the  nearer  it 
approaches  to  perfection  :  there  may  be  great 
watchfulness,  laborious  self-discipline,  toil  for 


CHRISTIAN    LIFE.  63 

advancement,  and  a  perpetual  addition  of 
those  delicate  strokes,  those  hues  and  shades 
of  spiritual  beauty,  by  which  perfection  is  at- 
tained; but  no  change  shows  itself,  mean- 
while, to  the  common  observer;  the  Chris- 
tian seems  to  others  precisely  where  he  was  a 
month  ago,  and  he  himself  may  be  dissatisfied 
at  not  perceiving  any  obvious  marks  of  growth 
corresponding  with  his  arduous  labors. 

Let  the  Christian,  then,  not  be  deceived. 
Let  him  be  sure  that  he  judges  himself  by  a 
right  standard.  It  is  true  that  he  ought  not 
to  be  too  easily  satisfied  of  his  improvement ; 
but  neither  ought  he  to  be  discouraged  through 
an  irrational  regard  and  judgment  of  his 
moral  condition.  When  the  oak  was  just 
springing  from  the  ground,  and  rearing  its 
stem  in  the  increase  of  its  first  tender  season, 
its  growth  of  but  twelve  inches  above  the 
soil,  whereon  nothing  but  decayed  leaves  was 
manifest  before,  appeared  conspicuous  and 
considerable ;  but  now  that  it  has  waved  its 
branches  in  the  sunshine  and  winds  of  three- 
score summers,  and  sheltered  two  genera- 
tions of  men  with  its  beneficent  shadow,  and 
nurtured   innumerable  tribes  of  living  crea- 


64  PROGRESS    OF    THE 

tures  in  its  kindly  arms,  it  may  add  the  same 
measure  of  increase  in  a  year  to  each  of  its 
hundred  gigantic  limbs,  with  no  perceptible 
enlargement ;  its  real  growth  has  been  a  hun- 
dred-fold what  it  was  when  most  conspicuous 
to  men,  but  no  one  observes  or  appreciates  it. 
So  it  is  with  the  Christian  character :  the 
more  advanced  its  stages,  the  nearer  it  attains 
to  perfection,  its  actual  improvement,  though 
greater  than  in  the  beginning,  may  neverthe- 
less be  less  perceptible. 

In  view  of  the  discouragements  alluded  to 
m  this  chapter,  and  of  all  others  that  might 
be  enumerated,  I  would  say  to  him  who  has 
really  entered  on  a  religious  life,  **  You  have 
taken  the  only  rational  course,  the  only  safe 
course,  the  only  truly  happy  course :  perse- 
vere unto  the  end ;  run  with  patience  the 
race  that  is  set  before  you ;  fight  the  good 
fight,  keep  the  faith,  lay  hold  on  eternal  life. 
Light  is  sown  for  the  righteous,  and  gladness 
for  the  upright  in  heart." 


CHRISTIAN    LIFE.  65 


CHAPTER   V. 

CONSIDERATIONS  DESIGNED  TO  ASSIST  THE 
CHRISTIAN  IN  THE  SUCCESSFUL  USE  OF 
THE  MEANS  AND  METHODS  OF  RELIGIOUS 
PROGRESS. 

In  order  to  the  successful  use  of  the  means 
of  religious  progress,  so  that  they  shall  truly 
operate  to  a  religious  growth,  it  is  essential 
so  to  employ  them  as  to  create  an  equal, 
healthy  development  of  the  character  in  all 
its  parts,  so  as  to  avoid  the  inconsistency  and 
distortion  which  are  the  consequence  of  too 
exclusive  devotion  to  some,  and  the  compara- 
tive neglect  of  others.  A  perfectly  well  pro- 
portioned religious  character  is  rarely  to  be 
found ;  but  for  that  very  reason  it  should  be 
the  more  anxiously  desired. 

Character  is  constituted  of  the  state  of 
the  mind  and  affections,  and  the  habits  of 
life.  These  ought  all  to  be  in  harmony  with 
each  other,  —  directed  by  the  same  princi- 
ples, exhibiting  the  same  features,  wearing 
6* 


66  PROGRESS    OF    THE 

the  same  complexion.  If  they  disagree,  there 
is  a  painful  discordance  perceived;  some- 
thing is  wrong;  there  is  neglect  of  duty, 
blame  somewhere. 

Now,  the  means  of  cultivating  and  perfect- 
ing the  right  state  of  mind  and  affections  are, 
primarily,  meditation  and  prayer,  and  those 
mental  exercises  of  contemplation,  self-exani- 
ination  and  study,  by  which  the  soul  is  di- 
rectly wrought  upon  and  raised  to  a  spiritual 
fervor.  Thus  it  approaches  to  God,  cherishes 
holy  and  benevolent  desires,  and  comes  to 
love  and  enjoy  the  things  that  are  unseen  and 
eternal.  And  when,  from  the  seasons  of 
contemplation  and  thought,  the  man  goes  into 
the  scenes  of  active  life,  he  carries  with  him 
this  propensity  to  goodness,  these  desires  to 
do  well.  He  goes  with  a  mind  imbued  with 
the  sentiment  of  devotion,  and  the  spirit  of 
dutifulness. 

Thus  far.  Well.  But  the  character  is  not 
yet  complete :  the  habits  of  his  active  life 
make  part  of  it.  And  what  are  they  ?  Do 
they  correspond  with  this  internal  frame? 
Are  they  in  harmony  with  these  principles 
and  sentiments  ? 


CHRISTIAN    LIFE.  67 

We  are  ready  at  first  to  ask,  "  How  can  they 
be  otherwise  ?  "  But  we  are  soon  reminded 
that  it  is  often  even  so.  It  is  common  to 
witness  lamentable  inconsistencies  between 
the  feelings  and  the  conduct.  Some  men 
appear  to  live  two  lives.  They  seem  to  have 
two  souls.  In  private  thought  and  in  familiar 
converse  they  are  devout  men.  Their  sen- 
sibilities are  quick ;  their  emotions  are  strong ; 
their  sense  of  God  lively ;  and  they  greatly 
enjoy  their  seasons  of  devotion  and  reading. 
But  in  the  routine  of  life  they  are  worldly, 
grasping,  self-indulgent,  devoted  to  gain,  neg- 
lectful of  trusts  and  duties,  and  far  inferior 
to  many  who  have  no  religious  sensibility, 
who  find  little  enjoyment  in  retirement  and 
reflection,  but  who  have  accustomed  them- 
selves to  the  most  scrupulous  fidelity  in  every 
passing  hour  of  social  life. 

It  is  to  be  with  you,  therefore,  a  matter 
of  study  and  effort  to  carry  the  sentiment  of 
the  closet  into  action.  The  life  of  contem- 
plation must  not  contradict  the  life  of  action. 
It  is  but  partially  that  character  is  formed 
which  is  formed  only  by  thinking,  musing, 
and  purposing.     It  wants  the  completeness  of 


68  PROGRESS    OP   THE 

active  habits.  It  wants  the  test  which  is  to 
be  found  only  in  life.  It  wants  the  principle 
of  growth  which  can  be  found  only  in  action. 
And  this  is  what  is  particularly  to  be  con- 
sidered in  this  connection  —  action  is  an 
essential  and  all-important  means  of  religious 
growth;  so  much  so,  that  even  the  contem- 
plative graces,  the  virtues  of  the  mind,  true 
affection,  exalted  principle,  benevolent  dispo- 
sitions, —  which  we  are  ready  to  believe  thrive 
best  in  solitude ;  to  cultivate  which,  multi- 
tudes have  shut  themselves  out  from  the  world, 
that  they  might  have  nothing  to  do  but  to 
meditate,  read,  and  pray,  — even  these  fail  of 
their  true  perfection  unless  quickened  and 
ripened  by  action.  For  consider  a  moment. 
When  the  mind  is  thus  excited  and  glowing 
with  divine  truth  and  virtuous  thoughts,  is 
it  not  all  so  much  impulse  to  do  something  1 
Does  not  the  desire  spring  up  spontaneously, 
prompting  to  act,  —  that  is,  to  express  itself? 
But  there  is  no  opportunity  to  act,  and  the 
impulse  is  denied.  It  is  excited  again,  and 
again  denied.  What  is  the  consequence? 
It  is  enfeebled.  It  becomes  less  and  less 
strong.     It   fades   and    dies   from   the  soul. 


CHRISTIAN    LIFE.  69 

Generous  impulses,  not  acted  upon,  perish ; 
the  soul  loses  its  sensibility,  becomes  callous. 
It  has  long  been  a  familiar  accusation  against 
a  certain  sort  of  sentimental  reading,  that  it 
tends  to  consume  and  waste  the  sympathies, 
and  paralyze  the  affections,  by  highly  excit- 
ing them,  but  allows  them  not  expression  in 
action,  awakening  the  impulse,  but  refusing 
to  gratify  it.  It  is  equally  the  case  with  all 
religious  affections.  And  it  is  easy  to  under- 
stand how  they  who  trust  to  them  as  if  suffi- 
cient, and  take  no  pains  to  carry  them  out  in 
act,  may  come  to  exhibit  two  distinct  charac- 
ters —  elevated  thought  and  glowing  feeling, 
but  selfish  indolence  of  life  and  cold  inac- 
tivity. 

Consider,  therefore,  that  action  is  an  essen- 
tial means  of  religious  growth.  Follow  out 
the  highest  impulses  of  your  mind.  Obey 
the  suggestions  of  your  conscience.  Never 
deny  the  religious  promptings  of  your  feel- 
ings. Then  you  will  establish  the  dominion 
of  principle,  the  supremacy  of  conscience. 
Then  all  good  feelings,  having  received  their 
natural    and    intended    gratification,   will   be 


70  PROGRESS    OF    THE 

encouraged  and  strengthened,  because  they 
have  had  their  legitimate  exercise. 

Remarks  to  the  same  purpose  may  be  made 
respecting  the  relation  which  subsists  be- 
tween principle  and  habit.  Habit  is  a  thing 
of  tremendous  power :  it  is  sometimes  om- 
nipotent in  man;  and  it  is  of  the  greatest 
consequence  that  its  energies  be  as  much  as 
possible,  and  as  easily  as  possible,  secured 
on  the  side  of  virtue.  It  may  be  the  greatest 
helper  or  the  greatest  hinderance  to  improve- 
ment. It  was  intended  to  be  the  former  ; 
and  yet  to  how  many,  through  life,  does  it 
prove  the  latter  !  In  how  many  men  does 
virtue  make  toilsome  growth,  because  clogged, 
thwarted,  depressed,  by  unfortunate  habits ! 
—  habits  formed  in  early  life,  established  in 
the  flesh,  rooted  in  the  affections,  woven  into 
the  daily  routine  of  conduct,  till  they  become 
a  part  of  the  very  nature ;  and  the  poor  wretch 
whom  they  enthral  is  bound  down  to  a  mis- 
erable insignificance  of  character,  and  yet  is 
wholly  unaware  of  their  deleterious  predom- 
inance. They  are  habits,  for  example,  of  lux- 
urious  living,   of  perpetual   personal   indul- 


CHRISTIAN    LIFE.  71 

gence,  of  slothfulness,  of  mental  inaction ; 
they  are  around  him  like  a  heavy  and  dead- 
ening atmosphere,  through  which  his  spirit 
has  to  make  its  way  upward,  and  by  which  its 
flight  is  perpetually  retarded.  It  has  always 
been  so,  and  he  does  not  know  it ;  or,  if  he 
knows  it,  how  difficult  to  enforce  the  remedy  ! 
But  in  most  instances  he  has  no  conception 
of  the  true  nature  of  the  evil  which  hinders 
him  ;  is  not,  perhaps,  even  aware  of  his  griev- 
ous want  of  alacrity  and  progress  —  like  the 
perpetual  invalid,  who  has  borne  about  with 
him  from  time  immemorial  a  seated  disorder 
which  enfeebles  him,  but  has  no  violent  symp- 
toms, and  who  still  engages  in  all  the  gen- 
eral duties  of  life,  without  the  vigor  and  de- 
light that  other  men  know,  but  with  all  the 
vigor  '^nd  delight  that  he  ever  knew,  and 
therefore  without  any  consciousness  of  the 
extent  of  his  own  deficiency  ;  and  who  never 
can  be  conscious  how  far  he  is  below  the  vigor 
and  spirits  of  other  men,  except  by  being  de- 
livered from  his  ailment  and  made  like  other 
men.  So  is  it  with  him  whose  moral  power 
is  palsied  by  the  unpropitious  habits  I  have 
referred  to :    he  never  can  know  the  degree 


72  PROGRESS    OF    THE 

in  which  they  are  an  injury  to  him,  until, 
having  thrown  them  off,  he  sees  how  rapidly 
he  rises  without  them. 

There  is  the  greatest  reason,  then,  that  one 
should  strictly  examine  himself  in  this  re- 
spect ;  that  he  may  not  be  depressed  forever 
by  circumstances  in  his  modes  of  life,  of 
whose  mjurious  influence  he  is  ignorant,  and 
which  he  might  counteract  if  he  knew  them. 

But  could  he  counteract  them?  It  will 
not  do  to  answer.  No;  and  yet  the  difficulty 
is  in  many  cases  so  all  but  insuperable,  that  we 
are  ready  to  understand  in  their  literal  sense 
the  words  of  the  prophet,  and  believe  that  the 
undertaking  is  as  desperately  hopeless  as  that 
of  changing  the  leopard's  spots,  and  the  Ethi- 
opian's skin.  To  take  the  most  familiar  ex- 
ample :  there  is  the  drunkard.  He  contin- 
ues such  against  his  own  will,  in  spite  of  his 
own  resolutions,  in  contradiction  to  his  own 
interest,  tears,  professions,  purposes,  princi- 
ples. His  bad  habit  is  but  the  type  of  all 
bad  habits ;  a  little  more  desperate,  perhaps, 
because  it  has  worked  itself  into  every  fibre 
of  the  body,  and  made  its  gratification  to  be 
clamored  for  by  every   organ  and  function. 


CHRISTIAN    LIFE.  73 

every  muscle,  sense,  and  nerve ;  but  all  bad 
habits,  in  their  place,  exercise  the  same  insane 
dominion.  Sloth  —  is  not  the  man  ashamed 
of  it  ?  does  he  not  make  vows  against  it  1 
does  he  not  mourn  at  the  ruin  and  disgrace 
it  entails  upon  him?  and  yet  he  is  slothful 
still.  Ill-temper  —  does  not  the  passionate 
mother,  whose  bursts  of  anger  lead  her  to  ill- 
treat  the  child  that  she  loves,  blush  at  her  own 
shame,  and  condemn  herself  with  bitterness 
and  tears?  and  yet  to-morrow  the  passion 
is  her  master  again.  Procrastination  —  with 
what  keen  anguish,  with  what  abiding  sense 
of  degradation,  with  what  remorse  for  friends 
neglected,  duties  omitted,  precious  opportu- 
nities of  usefulness  passed  by,  and  occasions 
of  honor  and  improvement  lost  forever, — 
with  what  compunction  and  self-condemna- 
tion, with  what  torment  of  unintermitting 
self-dissatisfaction,  —  does  that  inexplicable 
habit  pursue  its  poor  deluded  victim !  And 
yet  remorse  and  shame,  and  a  thousand  in- 
jurious results,  and  the  appeal  even  of  sober 
principle,  are  vain.  He  still  submits  to  his 
master,  and  will  be  wiser  to-morrow.  Other 
instances  any  one  can  add.  And  they  sug- 
7     - 


74  PROGRESS    OF    THE 

gest  the  fearful  question,  which  almost  stag- 
gers our  hope  as  we  reply  to  it  —  whether,  in 
sober  truth,  a  confirmed  ill  habit  be  not  in- 
curable, and  whether  virtue  have  any  prospect 
of  gaining  in  the  conflict. 

The  best  answer  is  found  in  the  appeal  to 
opposite  facts.  The  worst  habits  in  the  most 
desperate  cases,  and  under  the  most  unprom- 
ising circumstances,  have  been  corrected. 
The  history  of  the  Christian  religion  is  filled 
with  examples.  It  has  shown  its  divine  power 
in  these  triumphs,  and  proved,  by  the  won- 
derful trophies  of  its  grace,  in  the  amazing 
conversions  from  sin  which  it  has  wrought, 
that  however  desperate  may  seem  to  be  the 
struggle  between  principle  and  habit,  yet  the 
good  is  the  stronger,  and  must  prevail  in  the 
end,  whenever  it  is  faithfully  and  persever- 
ingly  supported. 

But  how  much  faith  and  what  long  per- 
severance it  demands ! 

From  these  extreme  cases,  then,  the  Chris- 
tian, who  is  seeking  improvement,  must  take 
both  a  warning  and  encouragement  —  a  warn- 
ing  that  he  examine  his  condition,  and  be 
fully  acquainted  with  every  circumstance  in 


CHRISTIAN    LIFE.  75 

his  modes  of  life  which  threatens  this  ruinous 
ascendency  over  his  principle ;  and  an  en- 
couragement that,  if  he  detect  any  which  is 
interwoven  with  his  whole  being,  so  that  to 
part  with  it  is  like  parting  with  a  right  hand 
or  right  eye,  he  yet  is  able  to  do  it,  and  to 
enjoy  the  happiness  of  deliverance. 

He  is  especially  to  learn  the  great  duty  of 
seeing  to  it,  from  the  first,  that  all  his  per- 
sonal and  social  habits,  his  disposition  of  time, 
the  order  of  his  affairs,  the  customs  of  his 
daily  life  and  business,  be  such  as  to  facili- 
tate his  virtuous  purposes,  —  such  as  to  make 
devotion  and  religion  easy  to  him,  —  such  as 
to  make  holy  thoughts  and  benevolent  actions^ 
always  in  place,  never  incongruous,  never 
irksome,  because  evidently  in  the  way  of 
other  affairs.  By  this  method,  he  should  give 
to  goodness  the  fairest  chance  of  obtaining 
a  complete  ascendency  over  him.  Principle, 
finding  all  the  habits  of  life  and  mind  con- 
genial, would  thrive,  and  strengthen,  and 
assume  the  complete  mastery. 

To  make  this  yet  the  more  sure,  let  him 
take  pains  directly  to  aid  and  encourage  his 
principle ;  not  only  by  bringing  it  forward  and 


76  PROGRESS    OF    THE 

making  it  active  on  great  emergencies,  but 
by  allowing  it,  nay,  calling  on  it,  to  exert 
itself  constantly ;  giving  it  small  tasks ;  cheer- 
ing it  by  the  pleasure  of  small  triumphs ;  and, 
in  a  word,  by  making  even  those  lesser  offices 
of  duty  and  kindness,  —  which  other  men  do 
of  course,  and  without  thinking,  —  by  making 
even  them  matters  of  principle,  —  turning 
them  into  thoughtful  acts  of  religious  obedi- 
ence, doing  them  because  they  are  consonant 
to  faith,  and  are  suitable  to  a  spiritual  and 
holy  nature  —  whether  he  eats  or  drinks,  or 
whatever  he  does,  doing  all  to  the  glory  of 
God,  as  to  the  Lord,  and  not  to  men.  In  this 
way,  the  full  power  of  habit  and  all  its  noblest 
energies  may  be  enlisted  on  the  side  of  his 
improvement.  Because,  principle  being  often 
called  into  action,  and  being  made  the  su- 
preme deciding  authority,  more  frequently 
than  any  thing  else,  the  habit  of  acting  from 
principle  will  become  stronger  than  any  other 
habit ;  will  overcome,  suppress,  exclude  every 
hostile  habit :  the  opposition  between  princi- 
ple and  habit,  which  once  so  palsied  the  pur- 
pose and  neutralized  the  efforts  of  virtue,  will 
have  ceased;  and    the    forces   once    antago- 


CHRISTIAN    LIFE.  77 

nistic  having  become  united  in  the  alliance 
of  truth,  having  become  in  fact  one,  there  can 
be  no  longer  any  serious  impediment  to  the 
onward  progress  of  the  soul.  Being  made 
free  from  sin,  ye  will  become  servants  to  God 
and  have  your  fruit  unto  holiness. 


78  FROGRESS    OF    THE 


CHAPTER  VI. 

MAXIMS    ON    WHICH   THE    EXPECTATION   OF  RE- 
LIGIOUS   PROGRESS    IS    TO    BE    BUILT. 

Let  us  suppose  that  the  low  views  and  the 
erroneous  principles  on  which  the  Christian 
life  is  too  frequently  made  to  proceed  are  set 
aside.  We  next  go  on  to  state  the  maxims 
on  which  the  expectation  of  Christian  pro- 
gress must  be  built. 

And,  first  of  all,  it  is  evident  that  there 
must  he  a  beginning.  There  is  no  such  thing 
as  setting  out  in  the  midst.  There  is  a  first 
step  in  every  journey;  there  is  the  com- 
mencement of  life  in  every  germ.  The  reli- 
gious life  of  the  soul  can  form  no  exception : 
it  must  have  a  first  step,  a  commencement. 
Define  it  as  you  please,  —  let  it  be  the  act 
of  the  human  reason  alone,  —  let  it  be  the 
moral  character  as  exhibited  in  daily  life,  — 
let  it  have  no  authority  or  guide  but  the  indi- 
vidual judgment  and  will ;  still  there  must  be 
a  beginning  somewhere,  for  the  simple  reason 


CHRISTIAN    LIFE.  79 

that  the  individual  who  exercises  the  judg- 
ment and  will  has  a  beginning ;  so  that  no 
one,  by  adopting  a  low  idea  of  the  nature  of 
the  religious  life,  can  thereby  escape  the  obli- 
gation to  ascertain  whether  he  have  started 
on  the  true  career,  nor  assume  that  he  came 
into  it  as  a  matter  of  course  when  he  came 
into  the  world.  For  into  what  did  he  then 
come  ?  Into  those  very  habits  of  decent 
living  which,  in  his  view,  are  the  Christian 
life  ?  Surely  not.  Those  habits  were  formed 
at  a  time  when  he  had  power  to  form  the 
opposite  habits ;  when  he  had  the  opportunity 
to  decide  for  himself  which  he  would  adopt  ; 
and  when,  from  some  motive  or  other,  he 
did  adopt  the  better  rather  than  the  worse. 
If  he  claims  that  these  should  satisfy  his  con- 
science, then  he  must  be  able  to  show  that  he 
adopted  them  of  good  intention,  that  he  formed 
the  purpose  to  possess  and  maintain  this  char- 
acter. Either  he  formed  the  purpose,  or  he 
did  not  form  it :  if  he  never  formed  the  pur- 
pose, but  is  what  he  is  by  pure  accident,  then, 
of  course,  he  will  not  pretend  to  any  more 
virtue,  thoxi  if,  by  a  similar  accident,  he  had 
become    any  other   character ;    and,  on    the 


80  PROGRESS    OP    THE 

Other  hand,  if  he  formed  the  purpose  and 
pursued  it  by  resohite  forethought  and  plan, 
then  he  made  a  beginning.  Therefore,  nothing 
can  be  more  absurd  than  the  idea  so  com- 
monly and  unthinkingly  held  by  men,  that 
they  are  in  the  midst  of  their  religious  pro- 
gress, when  they  never  formed  a  distinct  in- 
tention of  pursuing  it,  and  cannot  prove  that 
they  ever  laid  an  express  plan  in  relation  to  it. 
Novi',  if  this  be  true  in  regard  to  that  low 
idea  of  the  Christian  life  just  referred  to, 
how  much  more  is  it  true  of  that  correct  and 
elevated  idea  which  rises  beyond  the  decen- 
cies of  external  morals,  to  the  spiritual  purity 
of  the  affections,  companionship  with  Christ, 
and  a  universal  holiness.  This  absolute  and 
express  devotion  to  things  invisible  and  eter- 
nal, this  perpetual  and  supreme  reference  to 
the  spiritual,  is  not  a  state  of  mind  which 
grows  up  spontaneously,  which  starts  to  being 
of  itself,  out  of  the  incumbrances  and  occu- 
pations of  this  visible  state  ;  —  it  must  be  the 
result  of  effort,  the  effect  of  design.  No  man 
can  have  thus  gained  the  mastery  over  the 
sensible  present  without  having  intended  it 
and  labored  for  it :  he  could  not  do  this  with- 


CHRISTIAN    LIFE.  81 

out  fixing  a  mark  on  that  era  of  his  life; 
without  being  able  to  go  back  and  say  that 
then  he  made  a  beginning;  not  perhaps  at 
such  a  day  or  hour,  or  even  absolutely  such 
a  year ;  but  certainly  that  at  such  a  period  of 
life  he  took  a  decided  stand,  and,  by  some 
process  of  mind  more  or  less  protracted,  came 
to  the  express  understanding  with  himself 
that  he  was  bound  by  religious  obligations. 

This  is  the  first  element  in  the  religious 
life  —  this  settled  purpose  of  soul,  this  dis- 
tinct, acknowledged,  cherished  intention  and 
plan  to  live  for  heaven.  He  that  cannot 
convict  himself  of  having  deliberately  formed 
such  a  purpose,  who  is  not  conscious  of 
having  meditated  and  acted  upon  such  a 
plan,  talks  idly  when  he  asserts  that  he  is  in 
the  midst  of  a. Christian  course.  He  deceives 
himself  He  wants  the  first  element  of  the 
religious  life. 

Next  to  this  purpose,  religious  progress 
demands  effort.  The  purpose  must  not  die 
in  inaction ;  it  must  not,  as,  alas !  is  too  fre- 
quently the  case,  waste  itself  in  reverie  and 
musing.  That  dreamy  state  of  the  mind, 
which  loves  to  dwell  in  contemplation,  —  to 


82  PROGRESS    OF    THE 

sit  with  the  eyes  half  closed  and  gaze  on  the 
visions  of  glory  which  the  fancy  brings  before 
it,  —  to  think  of  the  admirable  things  that 
may  be  done,  and  the  grand  designs  which  it 
would  be  delightful  to  accomplish,  —  is  an 
unprofitable  state,  and  does  little  to  advance 
the  character.  It  is  likely  to  enervate  rather 
than  to  improve  it.  No  purpose  is  of  any 
value  which  does  not  ripen  into  action ;  and 
the  ever-present  purpose  of  Christian  pro- 
gress is  nought,  unless  accompanied  by  ever- 
active  effort. 

Inaction  is  the  death  of  all  virtue,  the  palsy 
of  the  character.  It  accounts  satisfactorily 
for  the  backwardness  and  meanness  of  Chris- 
tian men  in  Christian  attainments.  One 
might  almost  fancy,  from  the  sluggishness 
with  which  men  hold  their  faith,  that,  in 
adopting  the  gospel  as  their  hope  and  rule, 
they  had  simply  placed  themselves  on  board 
some  convenient  vessel  sent  for  their  deliver- 
ance, and  now  were  quietly  to  float  down  the 
gentle  stream  to  the  great  city  of  their  rest; 
instead  of  which,  all  experience  and  all  rev- 
elation teach  them,  that  they  are  embarked 
on  a  wide  and  perilous  ocean,  where   they 


CHRISTIAN    LIFE.  83 

must  watch  and  toil,  and  where  they  can 
make  no  progress  except  they  make  effort. 

Our  infatuation  on  this  point  is  dreadful. 
Nothing  else  comes  without  labor  and  perse- 
verance. Learning,  accomplishments,  dis- 
tinction, wealth,  —  they  are  all  earned  ;  and 
no  man  who  desires  them  hesitates  to  pay 
for  them  the  full  price,  enormous  as  it  some- 
times is,  at  which  alone  they  can  be  pos- 
sessed. But  that  greatest  and  highest  attain- 
ment, a  perfect  human  character,  is  to  come 
of  itself  The  calm  peace  of  self-govern- 
ment, —  the  holy  luxury  of  heavenly-mind- 
edness  —  the  lofty  and  complacent  dignity 
of  spiritualized  affections  —  the  honor  of  being 
like  God,  and  glory  of  entering  with  Jesus 
Christ  into  immortal  purity  and  love,  —  this 
we  expect  to  obtain  by  wishing :  this  vast 
acquisition,  this  unlimited  and  illimitable 
boon,  we  look  at,  we  admire,  we  long  for,  we 
do  not  doubt  we  shall  possess ;  and  yet  we 
make  for  it  nothing  like  the  effort  which  we 
make  to  get  bread  for  our  children  and  or- 
naments to  our  houses. 

No  wonder,  then,  that  the  Christian  com- 
munity improves  so  slowly.     No  wonder  that 


84  PROGRESS    OF    THE 

exemplary  patterns  of  Christian  attainment 
are  so  rare.  No  wonder  that,  instead  of 
seeing  all  around  us  those  men  of  the  beati- 
tudes, those  partakers  of  the  divine  nature, 
those  illustrious  imitators  of  God,  of  whom 
the  New  Testament  speaks,  and  whom  Christ 
meant  to  fashion  as  his  peculiar  people,  we 
are  compelled  to  mourn  over  inconsistency 
and  frailty  —  compelled  to  hide  a  multitude  of 
sins  in  our  good  men  with  the  mantle  of  a 
wide  charity  —  compelled  no  extenuate  and 
apologize  for  our  own  and  our  brethren's 
faults,  on  the  score  of  that  human  imperfec- 
tion, which  it  is  our  shame  that  we  have  not 
long  ago  surmounted  and  repressed.  No 
wonder  that,  in  this  laxness  of  exertion  toward 
Christian  perfection,  the  world  still  waits  to 
comprehend  the  meaning  of  that  description 
which  speaks  of  a  *'  royal  priesthood,"  **sons 
of  God,"  *' perfect  men  in  Christ  Jesus." 
For  where  are  they?  Here  and  there  one, 
just  to  satisfy  us  that  the  Word  of  God  de- 
scribes no  impossibility — just  enough  to  cast 
unspeakable  reproach  and  shame  on  the  indo- 
lence of  the  backward  multitude  of  believers, 


CHRISTIAN    LIFE.  85 

—  backward,   because   they   make   no   true 
effort  to  go  forward. 

But  it  is  not  this  listlessness  and  inaction 
alone,  to  which  we  are  to  look  as  the  cause 
of  this  imperfect  measure  of  Christian  attain- 
ment amongst  us ;  —  much  is  to  be  imputed 
also  to  a  certain  vagueness  in  respect  to  the 
nature  and  order  of  Christian  progress.  Men 
do  not  distinctly  perceive  what  it  is,  nor  how 
it  should  proceed.  The  same  inaccurate  and 
cloudy  notions  already  adverted  to,  which  per- 
suade them  that  they  are  in  the  successful 
prosecution  of  a  work  they  have  never  ex- 
pressly begun,  nor  formed  any  express  pur- 
pose of  doing,  lead  them  also  to  believe  that 
it  will  be,  by-and-by,  successfully  completed 
in  some  general  way ;  but  they  have  not  de- 
scribed to  themselves  in  what  way  it  is  to  be. 
They  indistinctly  see  they  must  go  forward  ; 
but  they  have  no  clear,  accurate  idea  of  the 
path,  and  no  idea  whatever  of  the  stages  by 
which  they  are  to  proceed.  In  a  word,  their 
notion  of  the  whole  subject  is  general  and 
confused,  amounting  to  nothing  more  than 
that  they  are  to  be  improving  themselves  and 
advancing  toward  heaven;  that  they  are  to 
8 


86  PROGRESS    OP    THE 

grow  better  as  they  grow  older  ;  —  but  as  to 
analyzing  this  idea,  and  reaching  an  actual 
understanding  of  the  several  points  in  regard 
to  which  they  are  to  grow  better,  —  this  is 
foreign  from  their  thought ;  and  no  wonder 
that  this  vagueness  of  purpose  keeps  them 
stationary. 

The  next  point,  therefore,  to  be  considered 
is,  tha*t  religious  progress  is  to  be  made  by 
stages.  It  is  not  merely  proceeding,  but  pro- 
ceeding from  one  point  to  another.  It  is  not 
merely  becoming  better,  but  becoming  better 
first  in  one  respect  and  then  in  another. 

All  progress  is  from  stage  to  stage.  In 
the  processes  of  nature  it  is  so ;  —  first  the 
Wade,  then  the  ear,  then  the  full  corn  in  the 
ear ;  —  a  continued  growth,  but  arriving  at 
and  passing  certain  epochs  or  periods  as  it 
proceeds.  So  in  the  growth  of  the  human 
frame,  and  of  the  human  mind ;  so  in  the 
advancement  of  society  and  knowledge.  No 
science  can  be  taught,  no  art  can  be  learned, 
except  in  passing  from  step  to  step ;  one  por- 
tion must  be  acquired  first  as  a  preparation 
for  another,  and  the  third  can  be  reached  only 
through  the  full  comprehension  of  the  second. 


CHRISTIAN    LIFE.  87 

Why  should  religious  knowledge  and  Chris- 
tian character  be  exceptions  ?  Why  should 
we  not  expect  in  their  pursuit  also  to  find 
natural  steps  of  advancement,  which  invite  us 
to  aim  at  one  attainment  in  the  first  place, 
and  to  make  that  a  stepping-stone  for  the 
next  ?  And  if  our  religious  progress  were 
divided  out  for  us  into  portions,  would  not 
its  accomplishment  be  more  certain  and  more 
satisfactory  ? 

It  may  not  be  easy  —  indeed,  it  is  very 
difficult — to  state  distinctly  and  with  philo- 
sophical exactness  the  successive  stages  of 
the  religious  progress ;  and  for  this  reason, 
among  others,  that  they  cannot  be  precisely 
the  same  to  all  men.  Even  the  author  of 
that  celebrated  description  of  the  Christian 
life  which  depicts  the  Pilgrim's  Progress, 
though  of  a  class  of  believers  who  have  gone 
as  far  as  any  in  making  Christian  experience 
of  the  same  undeviating  type  in  all  individu- 
als—  has  yet  found  it  necessary  to  allow  great 
varieties  in  the  several  histories  which  he 
framed.  Greater  varieties  still  will  be  allowed 
by  most  persons  who  consider  carefully  the 
infinite  diversities  which  exist  in  the  natural 


88  PROGRESS    OF    THE 

tempers  and  dispositions  of  men,  and  the  cir- 
cumstances of  education,  society,  business, 
companions,  forms  of  Jife,  &c.  in  which  men 
are  placed.  It  is  inevitable  that,  under  this 
state  of  things,  no  minute  account  can  be 
given  of  the  stages  of  Christian  progress 
which  will  precisely  apply  to  all  persons. 
We  can  state  nothing  more  than  a  few  general 
principles,  of  whose  varying  application  every 
man  must  judge  for  himself 

Thus  we  may  say,  first,  this  culture  of 
character  which  you  have  undertaken  is  a 
vast  and  complicated  thing :  it  is  not  one 
thing,  but  many ;  and  it  demands  equal  watch- 
fulness and  effort  in  many  directions,  as  to 
the  thoughts,  the  passions,  the  words,  the 
actions.  It  demands  right  affections  toward 
all  objects  that  concern  you  in  this  world, 
and  in  the  invisible  world ;  the  proper  balance 
of  the  affections;  the  due  adjustment  of  the 
habits  with  the  principle ;  the  true  combi- 
nation of  freedom  and  restraint,  of  contem- 
plation with  action,  of  firmness  with  gentle- 
ness. It  demands  knowledge,  self-restraint, 
watchfulness,  and  action,  in  so  many  direc- 
tions, on  so  many  subjects,  and  so  uninter- 


CHRISTIAN    LIFE.  89 

inittingly,  that  to  undertake  the  whole  at 
once,  to  assume  the  equal  charge  of  all,  and 
attempt  their  faithful  regulation  at  the  same 
moment,  is  a  task  that  might  well  seem  des- 
perate. The  work  must  be  divided  and  clas- 
sified ;  the  field  must  be  separated  into  por- 
tions ;  special  attention  must  be  first  bestowed 
on  this,  and  then  on  that,  and  the  huge  labor 
be  facilitated  by  partition,  the  long  journey 
accomplished  by  stages. 

Then,  secondly,  as  respects  the  precise 
order  in  which  the  several  objects  shall  be 
taken  up  and  accomplished,  it  is  clear  that 
the  first  care  should  be  to  establish  the  do- 
minion of  some  great  leading  principle  in 
the  soul,  some  one  master  authority,  to  whose 
pervading  influence  all  shall  submit,  and  from 
whose  absolute  word  there  shall  be  no  appeal. 
This  will  be  to  lay  the  foundation  of  the 
character  steadfast  and  strong,  and  to  further 
and  facilitate  the  unity  and  compactness  of 
the  whole  structure.  And  the  Creator  has 
provided  for  this  in  the  very  constitution  he . 
has  framed,  by  making  conscience  the  su- 
preme power,  and  ordaining  that  every  faculty 
and  disposition  shall  bow  to  its  sway.  To 
8* 


90  PROGRESS    OF    THE 

assure  to  conscience  its  rightful  sovereignty 
is,  therefore,  the  first  object;  to  this  one  great 
end  the  attention  should  be  directed  and  the 
chief  effort  made,  because,  until  conscience 
sits  monarch  in  the  soul,  all  etfort  after  per- 
manent moral  advancement  must  be  vain ; 
and  afterward  none  can  be  lost ;  and  in  the 
mean  time,  while  this  is  going  on,  much  dis- 
cipline of  the  heart  and  the  life  will  be  un- 
consciously accomplished  which  otherwise 
might  demand  serious  labor.  Let  the  vigor 
of  the  soul,  then,  be  concentrated  to  the 
accomplishment  of  this  result,  rather  than 
dissipated  and  enfeebled  in  the  attempt  to 
perform  several  acts  of  inferior  moment. 

Having  made  some  progress  in  this  great 
work,  there  is  another  distinct  object  which 
may  in  the  same  way  command  the  special 
attention  of  the  soul,  and  be  made  matter 
of  studious  and  almost  exclusive  consider- 
ation —  the  predominant  affection,  namely. 
This  is  of  not  inferior  consequence  to  that 
just  mentioned.  That  to  which  the  heart  is 
devoted  decides  the  character ;  and  if  the 
character  is  matter  of  solicitude,  especially 
b  it  matter  of  solicitude  to  decide  what  shall 


CHRISTIAN    LIFE.  91 

be  mistress  of  the  heart.  Here  the  case  is 
plain.  Love  is  the  first  and  second  thing ; 
love  is  the  fulfilling  of  the  law;  he  that 
dwells  in  love  dwells  in  God.  This  is  the 
principle  that  must  sway  the  affections :  when 
it  does,  the  law  will  be  fulfilled,  and  the  soul 
will  dwell  with  God,  without  any  minute  and 
painful  toiling  after  the  petty  details  of  duty. 
Let  this,  then,  be  a  distinct  study, — the  sep- 
arate and  express  aim,  —  until  the  character- 
istics of  divine  love  are  impressed  deeply  on 
the  heart,  and  all  meaner  affections  recognize 
and  bow  to  its  dominion. 

Another  distinct  object  must  be,  to  gain  an 
ever-wakeful  consciousness ^of  the  divine  pres- 
ence. The  good  child  must  learn  to  feel  the 
Father's  presence,  must  never  lose  sight  of 
his  eye ;  and  it  is  essential  to  spiritual  growth 
that  the  spirit  human  should  be  always  aware 
of  its  contact  with  the  Spirit  divine.  This  is 
to  be  learned.  This  must  become  a  habit. 
And  it  can  only  be  by  making  it  a  subject  of 
distinct  study  and  effort;  so  that  the  soul, 
which  the  officious  senses  would  restrict  to 
this  visible  scene  of  things,  may  be  able  to 


92  PROGRESS    OP    THE 

Struggle  away  from  them,  and  look  alway  at 
the  things  which  are  unseen  and  eternal. 

Let  these  suffice  for  specimens  of  what  is 
intended  by  stages  in  the  religions  progress. 
I  trust  I  have  said  enough  to  exhibit  my 
meaning  clearly.  The  doctrine  I  would  in- 
culcate is,  that,  instead  of  proposing  to  our- 
selves, in  general  terms,  the  vast  and  vague 
purpose  of  becoming  religious,  we  should 
parcel  out  our  duty  into  its  natural  depart- 
ments, and  make  each  the  object  of  separate 
discipline,  until  we  have  become  in  some  mea- 
sure adepts  in  it,  and  then  attend  in  the  same 
way  to  another.  Of  course,  this  method  can- 
not be  pursued  to,  the  letter;  no  one  can 
exclusively  cultivate  his  conscience,  and  have 
no  care  of  his  affections;  nor  cherish  the 
thought  of  God,  and  yet  neglect  his  con- 
science. On  the  contrary,  attention  to  either 
of  these  objects  greatly  tends  to  fix  attention 
on  the  other  two;  but  unquestionably  the 
greatest  proficiency  in  regard  to  each  and  to 
all  would  be  achieved  oy  an  effort  specially 
directed  to  one  at  a  time. 

This  general  principle  might  be  illustrated 


CHRISTIAN    LIFE.  93 

and  explained  to  a  much  greater  extent ;  but 
enough  has  been  said  to  render  it  intelligi- 
ble, and  show  its  application.  One  thing  at 
a  time,  though  a  rule  impossible  to  be  literally 
adhered  to,  is  yet,  as  far  as  it  may  be  observed, 
as  wise  in  the  progress  of  the  religious  char- 
acter as  in  any  other  important  affair. 


END. 


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